Käthe Kollwitz, The Parents, sheet 3 of the series »War«, 1921/1922, woodcut, Kn 174 V b, Cologne Kollwitz Collection © Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln

While the first two sheets in the series stand for the attitude of people at the beginning and the first few years of the war, the following three folios show people that the war has left behind – parents mourning their sons, and women who have become war windows.

The third sheet »The Parents« went through a series of major changes during the work on the series. In an earlier version, Käthe Kollwitz showed the couple sitting next to each other in reference to a wood sculpture by Barlach. She eventually decided to create a composition in which the parents support each other in their grief. She merged the figures to create a block-like group with one single expressive posture.

When the series was almost finished in November/December 1922, Käthe Kollwitz reworked this sheet once more: »At the moment I find it quite poor – much too light and hard and clear.« (Käthe Kollwitz, Diaries, 13 December 1922)

The final version is indeed darker and contains much fewer internal detail drawings.

PREPARATORY WORKS, REJECTED VERSIONS

Käthe Kollwitz, The Parents, rejected second version of sheet 3 in the series »War«, 1919, crayon lithograph (transfer), Kn 142 a, Cologne Kollwitz Collection © Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln

Käthe Kollwitz, The Parents, rejected second version of sheet 3 in the series »War«, 1919, crayon lithograph (transfer), Kn 142 a

Käthe Kollwitz, The Parents, rejected third version of sheet 3 in the series »War«, 1920, crayon lithograph (transfer), Kn 149, Cologne Kollwitz Collection © Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln

Käthe Kollwitz, The Parents, rejected third version of sheet 3 in the series »War«, 1920, crayon lithograph (transfer), Kn 149

Address

Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln

Neumarkt 18-24 / Neumarkt Passage

50667 Köln

+49 (0)221 227 2899

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Please note

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum's exhibition rooms are temporarily closed due to extensive renovation work.

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