Early Modern Art

Early Modern Art and the Influence of WWI

Kathe Kollwitz

Mothers, 1919

17 3/16 x 22 11/16

During the time that WWI (also known as the Great War) was raging in Europe, many industries were feeling the impact, including Art. As we can see in Kollwitz's work above, bringing a surrealist humanism to the forefront. This sketch above became one of the most iconic images of her time, bringing attention to the real-life grief and trauma that people were experiencing as a result of the war. In this sketch, Kollwitz has drawn mothers protectively draping their arms around their children. She even drew herself and her children into the sketch, saying "I have drawn the mother who embraces her two children; I am with my own children, born from me, my Hans and Peterchen." Hans was Kollwitz' oldest child, Peterchen the youngest, who died in combat at age 18. As a mother looking at these Mothers, it is hard to not feel their pain. The furrowed brow of the mother to the far right is every mothers worry, her arm protectively drawing her child closer to her. Her shading does an excellent job of providing contrast and light between the subjects.

Ludwig Meidner

Apokalytpische Landschaft and Junger Mann Mit Strohhut (Young Man with Straw Hat), 1912

Ludwig Meidner was a German painter who created a series of works titled "Apocalyptic Landscapes." The painting above is one of the paintings in that series. As you can see, it is quite an unsettling scene. We see two figures running away from a city that appears to be going up in flames, fire raging all around, buildings on the brink of collapse! The fact that the figures are running imparts a sense of urgency to the painting - are they far enough away? Will they make it out? Will they survive? These are all questions one might ask when considering their fate. The blazes in the distance, along with the fractured buildings, were painted in a disjointed manner, further contributing to the sense of danger. Meidner actually began the series one year before the war began and has been touted as a premonition of what was to come.

Emil Nolde

Soldiers, 1913

106 x 86

Emil Nolde was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was well-known throughout Germany as a reputable artist until eventually being denounced by the Nazi's, after which he was ordered to never paint again. He still did though, in private, eventually revealing a series of watercolors he entitled "Unpainted Paintings." He was known for his use of bold colors including reds and yellows, as we see here in this piece. I think this work can be interpreted in a number of ways, but given the context and the dark hues, they lend a slightly ominous feel to the viewer. Each soldier is standing at attention, holding their weapon. The yellow background does a nice job of highlighting the darker clothing of the solders and complements the red quite well. These soldiers appear to be ready for battle, with not a stitch out of place. The red highlights on their uniforms, in contrast to the darker blue leads me to believe these are Nazi soldiers, although I could be mistaken. As I said before, there are many ways in which one could interpret the scene as it is not gruesome, but simply represents soldiers ready for war. If nothing else, it is a thought provoking piece.