Call of Death 1934

"Call of Death" (1934) is a powerful charcoal drawing by German Expressionist artist Käthe Kollwitz, known for her depictions of suffering and the human condition. The work depicts a figure, likely a woman, seated with their head bowed, hand raised to their forehead. Above, a skeletal hand reaches down as if beckoning the figure towards death, creating a deeply unsettling atmosphere. The stark contrasts of light and dark, and Kollwitz's signature expressive lines, enhance the sense of despair and inevitability in the scene. The work reflects the artist's lived experience with loss and hardship, and the anxieties of war-torn Europe during this era.