The early drawings that have been preserved are almost exclusively nudes, studies of heads, detail studies of arms and hands as well as self-portraits, which is in line with the focal points of art studies for every student at that time. The »Four Female Nudes« date from her time studying in Munich between 1888 and 1890. Like all of Käthe Kollwitz’ nudes, they were neither dated nor signed when they were created.
Her painterly approach and the soft transitions, which make above all the nudes in the upper section appear more blurred and evanescent, reveal that she was interested in atmospheric aspects. The »Four Female Nudes«, like all the artist’s early drawings, are committed to a painterly stylistic ideal.