Mutter mit Kind auf dem Arm 1916

Kathe Kollwitz made this drawing of a mother and child, with what looks like charcoal, and a whole lotta love. The way the lines are built up feels so tender, you know? Like she’s feeling her way through the form, searching for the right marks to capture this intimate moment. There's a real sensitivity in the way Kollwitz uses the charcoal. See how the lines around the mother's face are soft and smudged, creating this feeling of warmth and comfort? And then, the child's patterned shirt is bolder, more defined, almost like a little shield. That contrast, it gives the drawing a real depth. It’s not just about what they look like, but how they feel, how they connect. It reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker, another artist who was interested in the inner lives of women and children. They both share that kind of honesty, that willingness to show the messy, complicated reality of motherhood. Art is a conversation, right? A way of seeing and feeling that keeps evolving over time.