Poverty 1919

Christian Rohlfs made this painting of ‘Poverty’ with thick strokes, heavy outlines, and earthy tones. I imagine he was looking closely, trying to capture not just what poverty looks like, but what it *feels* like. Look how the paint sits on the surface – almost raw. The figures seem to emerge from the background, their faces etched with worry. The mother holding the child—that downward glance must have taken many attempts to get right. You can see the artist searching, questioning. It reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, another German artist who knew about sorrow and suffering. Both artists weren't just showing us poverty; they were inviting us to empathize, to feel the weight of it. And that's what painting can do, right? It’s a feeling, not just a picture, echoing through time.