On View
Not on viewObject number1968/9.21
The Volunteers
Maker
Käthe Kollwitz
(German, 1867-1945)
Date1922-1923
Mediumwoodcut
Dimensionsimage: 13 3/4 × 19 1/4 in. (34.9 × 48.9 cm)
sheet: 18 7/8 × 25 1/4 in. (47.9 × 64.1 cm)
mat: 24 × 30 in. (61 × 76.2 cm)
sheet: 18 7/8 × 25 1/4 in. (47.9 × 64.1 cm)
mat: 24 × 30 in. (61 × 76.2 cm)
Credit LineDirector's Fund
Exhibition History"German Expressionist Art in Western Michigan Collections," KIA traveling exhibition (Mar. 1 - July 1, 1979).
"Modern Masters from the KIA Permanent Collection," Saginaw Art Museum (Nov. 12 - Dec. 5, 1993), Rankin Center Fine Art Gallery, Ferris State University (Jan. - Feb. 1994).
"German Expressionists from the KIA Permanent Collection," Saginaw Art Museum (Oct. 10 - Nov. 1, 1996).
"Masterworks from the KIA Permanent Collection," Dennos Museum Center (Mar.1997 - Feb. 1998); Midland Center for the Arts (Apr. - July 1998).
"Germany in Transition: Prints and Drawings 1890-1923," KIA Long Gallery (Apr. 20 - July 15, 2006).
"A Curator's Legacy: Helen Sheridan and the KIA Collection," KIA Long Gallery (Dec. 20, 2008 - Apr. 19, 2009).
Label TextAt an early age, Kollwitz developed a deep concern for the suffering of those around her, particularly the poor and destitute workers created by the industrial revolution. However, this print references another great human tragedy of her time. She developed this image in memory of her son and other young men who were killed in World War I. Kollwitz originally created this image as a drawing, but then changed her mind and turned it into a woodcut. She felt that the strong contrast and carved lines of the woodcut medium gave the image greater power and emotional impact.
