Kathe Kollwitz (1867-1945) is one of my all time favorite master drawers. She was also an accomplished sculptor but probably best known for her printmaking. Kollwitz made many self portraits throughout her life. This painting is inspired by Self-Portrait while Drawing from 1933. Completed when she was sixty six years old. I love the motif of this particular self portrait- in the process of drawing with a tiny stick of charcoal. In her hand, what an emphatic weapon it became during her creative toil against the political oppression and brutality of her time. And, I think, beyond her time.
My technical approach here was to try to celebrate the expressive sketchiness of her drawing. Also, I wanted to keep to a sombre color palette corresponding to the monochrome original.
