Käthe Kollwitz Portrait Prints

Kollwitz, Kathe (German, 1867-1945). SELBSTBILDNIS (SELF-PORTRAIT). Klipstein122VII(b), Knesebeck 126. Etching and drypoint, 1912. The final state. There were no editions in the earl...

This framed etching and drypoint print is entitled "Beim Dengeln" (Sharpening the Scythe) by Kathe Kollwitz from her Der Bauernkrieg (The Peasant War or Revolt) series. It was originally created in 1905, but reprinted later. It depicts a woman in half-length, sharpening a scythe very close to her face. Her expression reveals a great deal of emotion, including determination, as well as concern for her future, as well as her comrades during and following the coming conflict. Kollwitz' Peasant War series of seven prints was inspired by the German peasant outbreak of 1525, led by a woman named Black Anna. The peasants rebelled against the oppressive systems of serfdom and feudalism. Although the outbreak was brutally put down, it did mark a turning point for peasants, who realized that they could fight for a better life against the upper class. The seven images that make up The Peasant War images document the hardships of the peasants, the preparation for and the eventual battle scenes and the resultant sad fate of the peasants. Kollwitz' work demonstrates her unflagging commitment to the plight of the oppressed and disempowered in any era. The Peasant War series not only makes a socio-political statement about oppressed people, but also speaks to the role of strong female figures in their struggle for equality and a better life. Kollwitz broke with tradition by telling most of the story of the peasants revolt from the viewpoint of the women involved. In this revolt against the compulsory labor, cruel worker treatment and crippling taxes enforced on feudal peasantry, Kollwitz found similarities with the plight of the working class in Germany in the first half of the 20th century. In this series and specifically in this print, as well as her other works, Kollwitz demonstrates her genius at communicating the raw emotions, suffering and human power of her subjects, in this case the determination and desperation of the peasants, through mere etched and engraved lines and ink transferred to paper. This print with its full margins is presented in a bleached birch wood frame with a double white mat. The print and the frame are in very good condition. The frame measures 23.5" high, 22.5" wide and 1.75" deep. “1921” is printed in plate in the lower right corner. There is an adjacent von der Becke Berlin Halensee blindstamp at the lower right margin edge. References: Klipstein 90, Hinz 36, Knesebeck 88 xiv-c/xiv-c Käthe Kollwitz...

Figurative etching by female German Expressionist artist Kathe Kollwitz. The work features a seated young pregnant woman with her hands folded over her lap with her shadow prominent ...

Kollwitz, Kathe. HEIMARBEIT. Klipstein 209, Knesebeck 217. Lithograph, 1925. Third state of 3. Published for members of the Deutschen Kunstgemeinschaft. Signed in pencil, lower right...

Kollwitz, Kathe. FRAUENKOPF (WOMAN'S HEAD). K.76(iii)(b). Soft-Ground etching, c. 1905. The third state of five (with the lock of hair over the forehead), signed in pencil and number...

Maria und Elisabeth (Mary and Elisabeth). Version III. 1928. 14 1/4 x 13 3/4. Edition 150 in this state. A glowing impression on Japanese mulberry paper. Signed in pencil. Housed in...