Self-Portrait with Hand on Forehead (Selbstbildnis mit der Hand an der Stirn)
1910
Medium
etching and drypoint in black-brown ink on wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 15.5 x 13.6 cm (6 1/8 x 5 3/8 in.) sheet: 43.3 x 30.2 cm (17 1/16 x 11 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.5296
Art Historical Context
Käthe Kollwitz created this intimate self-portrait 1910 using etching and drypoint, techniques that allow for precise, textured lines and rich tonal contrasts in black-brown ink. The small plate size—just 15.5 by 13.6 centimeters—draws the viewer close, emphasizing the quiet gesture of the artist’s hand resting on her forehead. Printed on a much larger sheet, the work balances delicate detail with a sense of thoughtful space around the figure. Kollwitz, a German artist deeply engaged with social themes, often turned to printmaking to explore human emotion and inner life. Here, the self-portra...
About the Artist
Käthe Kollwitz
Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945) was a German artist whose powerful images of poverty, war, and maternal grief established her as the foremost practitioner of socially engaged art in early 20th-century Europe. Working primarily in printmaking—including etching, lithography, and woodcut—as well as drawing and sculpture, Kollwitz created works of raw emotional power that gave voice to the suffering of wor...