Death and the Mother

Kollwitz's technical skill in etching and her distinctively poignant, socially aware subject matter are visually and emotionally compelling in this work from 1910. Kollwitz's ability to create formally complex compositions can be seen in the three-figure struggle between mother, child, and the skeleton, which personifies Death. One of the many graphic works that address maternal grief over the loss of a child, Death and the Mother eerily foreshadows the death of Kollwitz's own son in World War I. Like Munch before her, Kollwitz's depictions of mothers and children were a shocking contrast to the traditional, nostalgic portrayals popular at the turn of the century.