Female Nude with Green Shawl

Although the German artist Käthe Kollwitz is mostly known from the social themes that have made her famous, today we present lithography that may be surprising. Female Nude with Green Shawl is a lush study of the long back of a brunette woman, surrounded by a pool of jade-green cloth, her face obscured, light falling on her upswept hair and slightly hunched-over shoulders. In terms of motif, Kollwitz took her cue from French art in the tradition of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The lithograph, printed in two colors, captivates with its exquisitely illuminated shoulder area, which was worked out with a mezzotint needle. The artist used the brown paper tone for the incarnate parts. We present the today's one thanks to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

Kollwitz was a genius in terms of printmaking. She made a total of 275 prints, in etching, woodcut, and lithography. By the way, one of her iconic works is featured in our 50 Women Artists Postcards Set, so don't miss it! 

 P.S. You may want to explore more art of Käthe Kollwitz!