Widow II, from "Kreig" (War)

1922–23

Not on view

Kollwitz’s leftist politics and mission to make progressive art widely available had a great influence internationally and aligned with the goals of Taller de Gráfica Popular artists. In the portfolio War, Kollwitz created moving portrayals of suffering. These seven woodcuts, published in the wake of World War I, are powerful indictments of combat and have become universal symbols for grieving. In Widow II, a corpse-like woman lies on the ground, a limp baby slumped across her chest. The stiffness and skeletal quality of her body support associations with death, while the stark black reflects Kollwitz’s comment that "pain is totally dark." Kollwitz herself suffered great loss. At the beginning of the war, her younger son Peter volunteered for combat with her help and died shortly later while fighting in Belgium.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Widow II, from "Kreig" (War)
Series/Portfolio: Kreig (War)
Artist: Käthe Kollwitz (German, Kaliningrad (Königsberg) 1867–1945 Moritzburg)
Date: 1922–23
Medium: Woodcut
Dimensions: Sheet: 18 5/16 × 24 5/8 in. (46.5 × 62.5 cm)
Image: 11 13/16 × 20 1/2 in. (30 × 52 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Richard and JoAnn Edinburg Pinkowitz, 2024
Object Number: 2024.69.100
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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