Inspiration 1905

Käthe Kollwitz made "Inspiration" with charcoal, and what grabs me is the way she builds the figure out of these velvety, smudgy marks. You can almost feel her hand moving across the paper, searching for the right form. It's a process laid bare. Look at how the charcoal sits on the surface - in some areas, it's dense and dark, creating deep shadows, while in others, it's feathered and light, almost disappearing into the paper. The figure is hunched over, head in hands, completely absorbed. Kollwitz uses these tonal shifts to convey a sense of introspection, the weight of thought. The smudging isn't just about technique, it's about feeling. Her work reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, both artists fearlessly exploring the inner lives of women. It's like they're having a conversation across time, reminding us that art is never truly finished, just passed on to the next hand.