The female art of Käthe Kollwitz

Abstract

This paper aims to present the German artist Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945). We will note that, despite being contemporary to art movements such as the Blue Rider/Blauer Reiter and the Bridge/Brücke, and although having worked with several members of the two movements, she does not appear on the list of any of them nor is she remembered by art historians. We will briefly observe her biography and some works, so to understand her interesting work as an artist who does not allow herself to be marked by any ism; in this sense, we highlight her feminine and not feminist production. We will observe her social and political activism, without, however, having joined any party, remaining independent to create her work freely. Finally, we will see the mutual respect and influence between her and Ernst Barlach (1870–1938), as well as the admiration that the Brazilian artist, Fayga Ostrower (1920-2001), had for her. Our research was based on an on-site visit to the Käthe Kollwitz Museum in Cologne, Germany, and specialized bibliography. We thus see that her production came, in fact, from a female perspective on society and we see her intention not to call for an uprising or revolt, but to provoke a critical awareness of war, hunger and loneliness.