“Death and Woman (Self-Portrait)” is an allegorical painting created by Kathe Kollwitz in 1910. This artwork belongs to the Expressionism art movement and serves as a poignant reflection on the themes of mortality and emotional turmoil.
The artwork presents a stark representation of a struggle between life and death. Dominating the composition is an emaciated skeletal figure, symbolizing death, which clutches at a woman. The woman, rendered with a sense of distress and vulnerability, appears to be resisting this grasp. To her side, a child clings to her, representing the clinging grasp of life and the innocence that is caught in the struggle. Kollwitz employs dramatic shadows and minimalistic lines to evoke a deep emotional response, reflecting the harrowing nature of the subjects she often explored in her work. The use of a limited color palette heightens the somber tone of the scene, emphasizing the raw emotional intensity of the confrontation between death and the struggling figures.
