07 Works, The Art of War, Käthe Kollwitz's the War (Krieg) series, with footnotes

In 1919, Käthe Kollwitz began work on Krieg (War), her response to the tragedies endured during what she called those "unspeakably difficult years" of World War I and its aftermath. The portfolio's seven woodcuts focus on the sorrows of those left behind—mothers, widows, and children. Kollwitz had struggled to find the appropriate means of expression until she saw an exhibition of Ernst Barlach's woodcuts in 1920. More on War (Krieg)

Käthe Kollwitz

The Sacrifice, sheet 1 of the series »War«, 1922

Woodcut

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum

After her son Peter had fallen in 1914 she created the presumably first work on the »War« series as a drawing which shows a woman bending over her infant that she cradles in her arms. She presses her face closely to that of the child. The strong emotions of the mother are reflected in the characteristic style of the drawing. The raised right arm gives the impression that the woman does not want to sacrifice her child for the war. This is more strongly expressed in this work than in the final version. The last two sheets in the series further illustrate this stance.

Käthe Kollwitz

The Volunteers, sheet 2 of the series »War«, 1921/1922

Woodcut

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum

The second sheet in the series is in the tradition of medieval ›danses macabres‹ and representations of Death as a military leader and shows five young men following the figure of Death who beats a drum. The young men have been given different characteristic traits – some of them are carried away by death in passionate enthusiasm, others follow in blind loyalty or in despair.

Käthe Kollwitz

The Parents, sheet 3 of the series »War«, 1921/1922

Woodcut

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum

While the first two sheets in the series stand for the attitude of people at the beginning and the first few years of the war, the following three folios show people that the war has left behind – parents mourning their sons, and women who have become war windows.

Käthe Kollwitz

The Widow I, sheet 4 of the series »War«, 1921/1922

Woodcut

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum

Against a light background, the figure of a young, pregnant woman holds her hands over her bulging body in a protective gesture. Her husband’s death has left her behind, alone and abandoned. The drawn-down corners of her mouth show her grief, while her head, helplessly tilted to one side, reveals her need for protection.

Käthe Kollwitz

The Widow II, sheet 5 of the series »War«, 1922

Woodcut

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum

The fifth folio of the series also shows a widow. In her despair she has taken her own life and that of her child. She lies prostrate in the foreground, her head fallen back, with her infant lying face down across her chest.

Käthe Kollwitz

The Mothers, sheet 6 of the series »War«, 1921/1922

Woodcut

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum

The women in this sheet hold back their children, some of whom are seen peeping out from behind their mothers, to prevent them from being sacrificed in a war.

Käthe Kollwitz

The People, sheet 7 of the series »War«, 1922

Woodcut

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum

At the centre of this sheet is a woman who evokes the image of the Virgin of Mercy. A child peeps out from under the mantle which is only hinted at and holds its hands in front of his face in a protective gesture. Behind the figure of the woman, the distorted faces of desperate people emerge from the dark as they huddle up to her. They are the war victims who survived, albeit with emotional and physical wounds.

As hardly any other artist, Käthe Kollwitz examined the First World War and its repercussions after her younger son Peter fell as a volunteer on 22 October 1914. Her war series, finished only in 1923, has autobiographical traits and illustrates the change in her attitudes during First World War. After initially fearing the war, but regarding it as legitimate, she gradually adopted a pacifist stance and rejected any further wars. More on this series 

Käthe Kollwitz (born as Schmidt; 8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945) was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture. Her most famous art cycles, including The Weavers and The Peasant War, depict the effects of poverty, hunger and war on the working class.[4][5] Despite the realism of her early works, her art is now more closely associated with Expressionism.[6] Kollwitz was the first woman not only to be elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts but also to receive honorary professor status. More on Käthe Kollwitz

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