The Notes and Analysis of Historical Art: MVB Edition
COVER IMAGE TO BE ADDED
—cirrus nam
—He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance—
melor baskakova—
The Notes and Analysis of Historical Art: MVB Edition
| XXXXXX | WOMAN with DEAD CHILD FRAU MIT TOTEM KIND
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The composition that Käthe Kollwitz chooses is definitely extremely interesting, instead of using bright or loud colors she uses a muted palette, yet somehow it still displays a dramatic heart-wrenching scene so effortlessly. She uses gold and green wash over the print to cause the whole image’s intensity to look quite old/worn, dull, and gloomy. I also found it interesting how when first gazing at the piece I hadn’t picked up on the green notes, only when I inspected closer did I see the subtle tints. Still am I curious why Kollwitz had chosen that color for this Woman with Dead Child, a curious question that may go unanswered. Furthermore, she purposefully and expertly darkens the face of the woman so that it is invisible to us onlookers, the features eluding us as it seems to blend into its surroundings. It seems almost a cruel sense of irony as light filters through the dark vacant room, illuminating the face of the deceased child. Their features are pronounced, detailed, and almost angelic further exemplifying and contrasting the tragedy actually taking place. Knowing that Käthe Kollwitz was a prominent activist against war, I feel as if we can infer that her work Woman with Dead Child is just as such. I beacon of discouragement through showing the fatality of the repercussions of war, during her time we can imagine she saw many tragic and disturbing things. I believe she wanted to capture the overwhelming sorrow she witnessed, creating a dark gloomy photo of crippling grief as a woman presumably held her dead child in her arms. Kollwitz purposely made the figure of the woman hunched over in a position in which she looks contorted and uncomfortable as she pulls the child closer to her. The woman’s face is overshadowed yet we can feel her agonizing sadness which again reflects in the gloomy colors. The child itself lays limp in her arms, the expressionless face serving as what seems a focal point of the print, as it is bathed in a glowing light, almost ethereal as it perfectly contrasts with the darkness surrounding them. The art holds a strange sense of peace and suffering as the two sit in what feels like a void of empty space. The piece by Kathe Kollwitz I believe is extremely hauntingly beautiful, and I love the fact that the more you look into the print the more you seem to decode. It brings me back often, as I try to look at it constantly in different lights and perspectives of the characters and the people that may be surrounding. This artwork constantly floats around in the back of my mind, the image of grief and strange ethereal semblance making the gears in my brain turn as I constantly wonder how I can create this sort of eye-catching piece. The level of depth she adds with not only her techniques but her meanings is something I strive to be like, I constantly am in awe of artworks like this. Ones that haunt your dreams, make you change your way of thought, and give a sort of psychological twist that’s hard to replicate. ──────────────────────────────────────── FOOTNOTES | Käthe Kollwitz, Frau mit totem Kind, 1903, etching with graphite, black chalk, and metallic paints on wove paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC |
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—cirrus nam
—He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance—
melor baskakova—