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Käthe Kollwitz

Self-portrait at a Table, ca.1893, published 1921

Description

Maker

Käthe Kollwitz, 1867-1945, German, printmaker
Verlag Otto Felsing, after 1875, German, printer
Emil Richter, active 1848-1930, German, publisher

Title

Self-portrait at a Table

Year

ca.1893, published 1921

Medium

Etching, drypoint, aquatint, and spit bite on medium-weight wove paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

aquatint

Supports

paper

Dimensions

Plate: 16.5 x 12.1 cm (6 1/2 x 4 3/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Lettered below image, LL: "Orig. Rad. von Käthe Kollwitz"; LC: "Verlag von Emil Richter, Dresden"; and LR: "Druck v. O. Felsing Berl..."

Identification

State

Kn. 21, state IV

Type

Credit

Anonymous gift

Object Number

2005.142.39

Exhibition History

Visions and Revisions

February 15 - August 4, 2019

Illuminated by an overhead gas light, the artist turns to stare beyond the viewer. The space around her is swallowed up by densely textured darkness, achieved through an energetic combination of aquatint and spit bite (the application of acid on an uncoated plate).

Greatly inspired by the work of Max Klinger, Kollwitz created an experimental body of prints focusing on the themes of war, death, the suffering of working people, motherhood, and identity. She frequently returned to intimate self-portraits, allowing her face and hands to convey mood and expression.

A Process of Protest

July 28 - November 26, 2006

Printed self-portraits were a mainstay of Kollwitz’s artistic practice. In this night scene, completed when she was twenty-six, she experimented with aquatint for only the second time, employing it for the dark, textured areas surrounding her face and body. Although the aquatint was likely not intended to be so deeply bitten, its rich surface contributes to the dramatic quality of the print.

Use

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