The Parents

Käthe Kollwitz's The Parents exemplifies her mastery in Genre painting with raw emotional depth, reflecting her focus on the struggles of the working class. Created as a powerful Expressionism piece, it captures the sorrow and resilience of parents amidst hardship, echoing themes from her notable cycles like The Weavers. Kollwitz frequently employed printmaking techniques such as woodcut to convey her stark social commentary. Her shift from realism to a more visceral, emotional style distinguished her as a pioneering female artist, earning her the first female honorary professor at the Prussian Academy of Arts.