1926
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Pregnant Woman Contemplating Suicide (recto) is a 1926 by Käthe Kollwitz, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This etching shows a pregnant woman with her head in her hands. Her body leans forward like she’s about to collapse. Kollwitz made this after World War I. She lost her son in the war and drew grief constantly. Just a few dark lines show deep sorrow. She used simple crayon but made it feel huge. Look for the raw emotion in every mark. Check out Käthe Kollwitz (German, 1867–1945) next.
Working in a frank but emotional naturalistic style far different from that of her contemporaries, Käthe Kollwitz depicted a pregnant woman who stands as a universal symbol of human grief. Just a few bold strokes of crayon relay the woman’s despair. After World War I, Kollwitz’s work focused on the sorrows of those left behind: the children, widows, and mothers who underwent loss, physical neglect, and economic hardship. Her focus on grief and despair in this and other works emerged especially after her youngest son, Peter, was killed in the first months of the war.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Käthe Kollwitz (German pronunciation: born Schmidt; 8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945) was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture.
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