Käthe Kollwitz

This drawing for sheet four of the Peasant’s War cycle depicts the peasants as they prepare for battle. Kollwitz used graphite, charcoal, crayon, and wash to create a composition of sweeping diagonals. The slant of the ghostly figures that rises to the left balances the vaulted ceiling of the church at right.

Kollwitz made two prints after this initial design (on view at right). The first, a trial proof, is a three-color lithograph. The other, the last print of the edition, is done in intaglio technique. As evident when comparing the two prints, Kollwitz experimented with the composition in two directions.