Students who doubt their knowledge of art will be pleasantly surprised at their recognition of imagery in the Kath? Kollwitz's exhibition currently on display at the Art Institute of Boston (AIB). An artist of the people, Kollwitz's created works that have been widely circulated and integrated into international pop-culture.
If viewers find that they recognize the work but not the artist, they should not be discouraged; the work should "affect the way ordinary people view the world - and to move people to act," according to AIB's biographical summary of Kollwitz.
Kath? Kollwitz: Engravings, Lithographs, Woodcuts, 1891-1938, is a collaborative effort between the AIB and Boston's branch of the Goethe-Institut Inter Nationales, a German cultural organization. The exhibit emphasizes the artist's process as well as the political climate of her time. The center of the gallery is dedicated to processes; tools, materials, and plates encased in glass. The adjoining gallery is filled with photographs of urban and rural Germany from the pre-World War I era through the post-World War II years.
The exhibit provides some context for the work, though the political content of the prints speak for themselves. Many of the works belong to the William Benton Museum at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, highlighting the impact and accessibility of Kollwitz's work. It is surprising how many of her best works belong to this New England collection and are so easy to see.
Misery, a lithograph and ink print, depicts a family - a woman with her hands clasped around her head before a pale white, presumably sick, starving or dead baby. Another figure with a child is suggested in the background beside and empty loom. The empty loom is a recurring image that Kollwitz often uses in the series to represent this moment of economic despair. Death, also a lithograph, illustrates a family seated around a table. One man in the background leans against the wall next to a seated child, whose face is brightly illuminated by the flicker of a candle. The man is emaciated, exhausted, and like the baby in Misery, presumably near death. At the foreground, a standing man faces the others with his back to the viewer. A skeletal hand reaches out between this figure and the others, Death himself has descended upon the family. Kollwitz utilizes the skeleton figure, like the image of the empty loom, to depict death.
Throughout the show, one can observe this figure's frequent appearances. Death swoops down upon a group of children as they attempt to run in Death Reaches for a Group of Children, 1934, (lithograph with color addition), and grasps the struggling figure of a woman from behind in Death Seizes a Woman, 1934, (lithograph). Kollwitz, who was married to a physician, saw the death in the daily lives of working class people. Death always lurks, whether invisibly in the darkness of her prints or clearly and brightly illuminated in the foreground.
Kollwitz did not, however, merely render social realities extracted from the experiences of others. She was known for her political opinion and action. A vehement pacifist through both wars, she dedicated work to political movements and social change. The Proletariat series of woodcuts, her Memorial for Karl Liebkeneckt, 1919, (woodcut) and others are all cultivated by her anti-war beliefs and social consciousness. These works earned her the title of "degenerate artist" during the Third Reich. In 1937 she was included in the famed Degenerate Art exhibition, attesting to the relevance and power of her imagery.
This enduring body of work coincides with contemporary issues of human rights and politics paralleling recent current events. The violation Kollwitz commented on in her artwork, though expressive of rage, never lets up on her ardent pacifism. It is a unique opportunity indeed that this much work is currently displayed within in such easy reach.
The exhibitis currently on display at The Art Institute of Boston though Nov. 3. The AIB is located at 700 Beacon Street in Kenmore Square. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Contact the AIB by telephone: 617-262-1223 or visit: www.aiboston.edu.
