Artwork of the Week: July 8, 2024
German artist Käthe Kollwitz created very few openly religious images. However, the Biblical narrative of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth does not seem out of place in her portfolio. Traditionally, the Virgin Mary would have been depicted in vibrant robes to denote the celestial import of her earthly mission. However, in this woodcut, Kollwitz has rendered her in the humble guise of the laboring classes, focusing on her humanity over her divinity.
Interested in the struggles of lower-class women, Kollwitz used the story of these two mothers as an opportunity to recast the plight of the urban poor in Biblical terms. You can see The Visitation in person at the MOA in the traveling exhibition Reconciliation.
This work is on loan from Bowden Collections ,which offers nearly 20 traveling exhibitions relating to the Bible and faith available to museums, universities, seminaries, and churches.
