[Visual Arts] Kollwitz, Kathe. (1867-1945)
[Self-portrait] Selbstbildnis mit der Hand and der Stirn.
Etching printed in black on thin, cream wove paper, 1910. Plate measures 156 x 138 mm [6 1/8 x 5 3/8 inches], wide margins, overall 250 x 352 mm. A very good impression with warm plate tone, with the stamped signature at the lower right. Klipstein 106; Knesebeck 109 V.The Self-Portrait is one of the most important themes in Kollwitz's art. As a genre it is always very revealing of an artist's ideas; in the oeuvre of Kathe Kollwitz it became one of the most significant themes through which she could express her social, moral and aesthetic attitudes. Her earliest Self-Portrait was etched in the 1890's; by the 1910's to 20's it had come to be a dominant and frequently recurring motif, and a way in which she could emphasise her social thinking without transgressing the artistic and political conventions.
"Selbstbildnis mit der Hand and der Stirn" is one of the most admired small-scale versions in her whole oeuvre. The handling of the line is fine, incisive and at the same time strongly tonal. In the manner in which it seems to model the whole surface of the paper it is typical of the strength and power of her draughtsmanship. In this work she manages to combine both detail and precision with a breadth of handling of the light which is one of the greatest strengths of her art. It is a remarkable example of the way in which she manages to unite graphic delineation and sculptural tone. (6446)
Art/Sculpture Art & Design