Working Woman with a Blue Shawl (Brustbild einer Arbeiterfrau mit Blauern Tuch)
Artist: Käthe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945)
Date: 1903
Dimensions:
Overall: 13 7/8 x 9 5/8 in. (35.2 x 24.4 cm)
Medium: Lithograph in three colors
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Frederick B. and Kate L. Shoemaker Fund
Object number: 1950.293
Label Text:
Käthe Kollowitz often stated, “I am in the world to change the world.” In 1901 Kollwitz, who had previously focused on etching, set out to experiment with color lithography. Showing tremendous technical skill, in Working Woman with a Blue Shawl she was able to give artistic expression to the injustice experienced by those living in poverty. Here the downcast glance, beleaguered expression, simple garments, enveloping shadows, and somber color sympathetically evoke the burdens of this woman’s difficult life. Herself faced with a life of hardship and great sorrow, Kollwitz offers a timeless tribute to those less fortunate than she. Throughout her long artistic career, she continued to illuminate the conditions of the German working class. See too her prints from the series Krieg (1922–23) in this exhibition.
Käthe Kollowitz often stated, “I am in the world to change the world.” In 1901 Kollwitz, who had previously focused on etching, set out to experiment with color lithography. Showing tremendous technical skill, in Working Woman with a Blue Shawl she was able to give artistic expression to the injustice experienced by those living in poverty. Here the downcast glance, beleaguered expression, simple garments, enveloping shadows, and somber color sympathetically evoke the burdens of this woman’s difficult life. Herself faced with a life of hardship and great sorrow, Kollwitz offers a timeless tribute to those less fortunate than she. Throughout her long artistic career, she continued to illuminate the conditions of the German working class. See too her prints from the series Krieg (1922–23) in this exhibition.
Not on view
In Collection(s)