Käthe kollwitz art style
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Biography of Kathe Kollwitz, German Printmaker
Kathe Kollwitz (1867-1945) was a German artist who specialized in printmaking. Her ability to depict the powerful emotional impact of poverty, hunger, and war made her one of the most celebrated artists of the first half of the twentieth century. She broke ground for women and honored the experiences of the working class in her art.
Fast Facts: Kathe Kollwitz
- Full Name: Kathe Schmidt Kollwitz
- Known For: Printmaking, painting, and etching
- Styles: Realism and expressionism
- Born: July 8, 1867 in Konigsberg, Prussia
- Parents: Karl and Katherina Schmidt
- Died: April 22, 1945 in Moritzburg, Germany
- Spouse: Karl Kollwitz
- Children: Hans and Peter
- Education: Women's Art School of Munich
- Selected Works: "The Weavers" (1898), "The Peasant War" (1908), "The Grieving Parents" (1932)
- Notable Quote: "No longer diverted by other emotions, I work the way a cow grazes."
Early Life and Education
Born in Konigsberg, Prussia, now part of Russia, Kathe Kollwitz was the fifth
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Käthe Kollwitz
German artist (1867–1945)
Käthe Kollwitz (German pronunciation:[kɛːtəkɔlvɪt͡s] born as Schmidt; 8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945)[3] was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture. Her most famous art cycles, including The Weavers and The Peasant War, depict the effects of poverty, hunger and war on the working class.[4][5] Despite the realism of her early works, her art is now more closely associated with Expressionism.[6] Kollwitz was the first woman not only to be elected to the PrussianAcademy of Arts but also to receive honorary professor status.[7]
Life and work
Youth
Kollwitz was born in Königsberg, Prussia, as the fifth child in her family. Her father, Karl Schmidt, was a Social Democrat who became a mason and house builder. Her mother, Katherina Schmidt, was the daughter of Julius Rupp,[8] a Lutheran pastor who was expelled from the official Evangelical State Church and founded an
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Käthe Kollwitz
Käthe Kollwitz, Self-Portrait, 1921; © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Käthe Kollwitz
1867 to 1945
Raised in a politically progressive middle-class family, Kollwitz enjoyed family support for her artistic ambitions. When she became engaged to a medical student in 1889, her father even sent her to study in Munich to persuade her to choose art over marriage. Following graduation, she returned to Berlin to marry her fiancé Karl Kollwitz in 1891.
Though Kollwitz studied both painting and printmaking, she turned exclusively to the print in the early 1890s. Influenced by fellow German artist Max Klinger, she saw the potential of the print for social commentary. Prints could be reproduced inexpensively and in multiples, allowing her to reach more people.
For the next 50 years she produced dramatic, emotion-filled etchings, woodcuts, and lithographs—generally in black and white but sometimes including touches of color. Initially, her husband’s working-class patients proved worthy models and subjects. Beginning in the teens, Kollwit
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