Käthe Kollwitz,Mother with Dead Child,1903

Kathe Kollwitz was born in Kaliningrad, Russia in 1867. Kollwitz was born into a middle class family that motivated her to work on her artistic skills. She could only take private lessons with artists because women weren’t allowed in the Konigsberg Academy. She studied in Munich and Berlin later on. In 1891, she got married in Berlin and had two sons. Kollwitz was very interested in graphic arts so she decided to become a printmaker. She made woodcuts, lithographs and etchings. Most of her artworks were in black and white but it also caused her some trouble. In 1897, Kollwitz couldn’t get a gold medal in the Berlin Salon because Kaiser Wilhelm didn’t like the way she interpreted her work. She was forced to give up her job as the first woman professor in the Prussian Academy in 1933 and she was banned from showing her artworks later on. Towards the end of her life, Kollwitz made a bronze and stone sculpture that expresses her values. In 1943, most of her artworks were ruined in a Berlin air raid. Kollwitz passed away later in Dresden (NMWA).

Kathe Kollwitz did a series of drawings, etchings and charcoals called ‘Pieta’, which means men’s Mary mourning her dead son, in 1903 (Bertman). Woman with Dead Child was one of the etchings in that series (Bertman). Kathe’s son was the model in this etching (Bertman). There’s a woman sitting down with a dead child in her arms. The woman looks disheartened and sorrowful. The woman’s body looks very masculine and it can be a symbol for the strength she has to protect her child. Also, the woman is holding the child very tightly and close to her chest. This can represent the love and protection she has for the child. The death of the child shows us that no matter the love and protection of the mother can’t always prevent the child from danger. Kathe Kollwitz experienced the death of her own child when her son was killed in WWI when he was 21 years old (Bertman).

Mary Cassatt The Boating Party, 1893/1894

Mary Cassatt was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania on May 22^nd, 1844. In 1851, Cassatt’s family moved to Paris for four years but they later moved back to Pennsylvania. Growing up, Cassatt was very interested in art and she studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for four years. After, Mary worked at Charles Chaplin’s studio and studied different paintings. In 1872, she went to Italy and studied Renaissance artworks and developed her skills. Mary Cassatt painted traditional style paintings. In 1874, her artworks interested Degas because her work was considered “real.” Mary became passionate about the Impressionist Movement.  Later, she was invited to join the Impressionists. Mary became more confident of her artworks because it was rare for women to be recognized for their talents during that time. Mary Cassatt’s artworks focused on women and family environments. She painted women in their motherly and protective roles. Also, she painted the literate side of women to show their intellectual abilities and cleverness in the society (Jennings).

The Boating Party was one of her famous paintings that depicted the motherly and protective role. The Boating Party was painted in Antibes, France in 1893 to 1894 (Powell III). Her inspiration for this painting was from Japanese woodcuts she came across at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and Edouard Manet’s Boating (Powell III). The high horizon, placement of the people, and the patterns and shapes of the background shows Japanese art techniques. The close view and the boat’s end cut off on the side were done that way similar to Japanese woodcuts (Powell III). The colors and brushworks she used are post-impressionist. The boatman and the woman carrying the child are bigger in contrast to the background. The view of the painting makes the audience seem like they’re part of the painting. The sail, the oar and the bow of the boat are pointing in the direction of the baby. The mother is holding the baby tightly on her lap which shows the care she has for her child and protection from falling into the water or any kind of danger. Mary Cassatt’s artworks show the love and protection of mothers have for their children.

Giovanni Bellini The Madonna of the Meadow, 1500-05

Giovanni Bellini was born in Venice, Italy in 1430. He was born into a family of painters. When he was young, he was trained in his father’s studio. His father and his brother-in-law were Italian Renaissance painters and they both helped Bellini with Renaissance art. The Bellini’s family was one of the successful painters in the Italian Renaissance. Bellini painted mostly religious paintings.  One of the reasons why Bellini was so successful was because of the different techniques in his paintings. Bellini used light and shade to do various effects and the colors he used makes the paintings radiant. He paid attention to the different types of shapes and many aspects of love. He brought realism to a whole new level. All of his painting has a lot of depth and detail.  Also, his paintings gave the audience a better understanding of human beings’ way of life (Beckett and Wright).

Bellini was an artist who was particularly interested in motherhood, and he painted Madonnas as his way of expressing this interest.  The Madonna of the Meadow was painted between 1500 and 1505. In this painting, Jesus is laying on Madonna’s lap. Madonna and Jesus are in a pyramidal shape. This scene displays the farm and hills of Venice, using perspective and a vanishing point. On the left of the painting, there’s a bird that is attacking a snake. This might be a symbol of the good and the evil. The black bird on the tree is a symbol of the death of Jesus. The painting has been transferred from panel to canvas and is damaged in places. In this painting, Madonna is looking down at Jesus sadly. Jesus is naked and looks very vulnerable. He is protected by Madonna even though he is, essentially, God. It shows us that without the mother’s protection, Jesus wouldn't be able to live.

Bibliography

•Powell III, Earl A. "The Boating Party." National Gallery of Art. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/ggcassattptg/ggcassattptg-46286.0.html>.

•Jennings, Guy. "Cassatt." Impressionist Painters. Twickenham, Middlesex: Hamlyn, 1986. 35-40. Print.

Powell III, Earl A. "Madonna and Child." National Gallery of Art. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=397>.

Beckett, Wendy, and Patricia Wright. "Renaissance Venice." The Story of Painting. London: Dorling Kindersley, 1994. 108-09. Print.

Bertman, Sandra L. "Woman with Dead Child." NYU School of Medicine. New York University, 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. <http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Annotation?action=view&annid=10388>.

Bellini, Giovanni. "BELLINI." Yukon Education Student Network - Home. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/bellini.html>.

"NMWA | Private Collection | Profile - Käthe Kollwitz." National Museum of Women in the Arts. The Women's Museum, 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nmwa.org/collection/profile.asp?LinkID=511>.