Butter Woman 1917

Otto Lange created this color lithograph titled ‘Butter Woman.’ Lange was part of the Dresden Secession, a group of German Expressionist artists who were challenging academic art traditions. Here, a woman’s labor is bluntly portrayed. Expressionism sought to represent subjective emotions and experiences rather than objective reality. In 'Butter Woman', Lange captures the harshness of rural, working-class life. We see the woman’s face, her gaze downward, perhaps indicative of the endless domestic labor, while behind her we see a man and his face is also downcast. This representation raises questions about gendered labor and the emotional toll on women in such roles. The use of bold colors is typical of Expressionism, but here the colors serve to emphasize the harshness of the scene rather than to beautify it. This work isn’t merely a depiction, it’s a commentary on the social and emotional landscape of the time.