Portrait of a Working Woman with Blue Shawl, 1903
Käthe Kollwitzexpand_more
Crayon and brush lithograph on wove Japan paperexpand_more
Gift of Alfred and Ingrid Lenz Harrisonexpand_more 2023.57.5
Not on Viewexpand_more
“Woman with Blue Shawl” represents a highpoint in Käthe Kollwitz’s engagement with color lithography. The striking image shows a woman bust length with her head slightly downturned. Here Kollwitz is at her best in conveying subtle emotion. The subject’s hair is pulled back, and her sinking cheeks make us feel the burdens she bears. Much of her face is in shadow, though the light catches her from one side. She wears the denim blue coat of a worker. Though she lives a hard life, we do not sense abject despair. Rather she can take some solace in the touch of light that comes to her like a spiritual aura. Mia has two other impressions of this lithograph, one a rare, early proof (P.359), the other a later commercially-printed reissue (P.5,419). The present impression shows how Kollwitz’sintended the published print to appear
Details
- Title
- Portrait of a Working Woman with Blue Shawl
- Artist Life
- 1867–1945
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2023.57.5
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Klipstein 68
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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