The Parents II (Die Eltern II)
1923
Medium
woodcut in black on japan paper
Dimensions
sheet: 39.1 x 47.3 cm (15 3/8 x 18 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.5271
Art Historical Context
Käthe Kollwitz, pioneering German Expressionist printmaker, created *The Parents II (Die II)* in 1923 as part of her poignant *War* series. Deeply influenced by the devastation of World War I—including the loss of her own son—Kollwitz channeled raw grief and social commentary into her works. This woodcut captures the profound sorrow of two aging parents, hunched in despair, embodying the enduring trauma borne by war's survivors amid the economic turmoil of Weimar Germany. Printed in stark black ink on delicate Japan paper, the medium exemplifies Kollwitz's mastery of woodcut techniques. She c...
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...