: - Hamilton College's Emerson Gallery presents the art of Käthe
Kollwitz, a German woman and mother who offered the world a
unique perspective on war. While her male contemporaries, two of
whom are included in this exhibition, were illustrating the
horrors of the World War I battlefields, Kollwitz illuminated the
agony of the home front and the anxiety of a soldier's mother.
Opening Friday, December 5, the exhibition includes more than 30
Kollwitz lithographs and woodcuts along side the works of two
male artists, Felix Vallotton and George Bellows.
The exhibition provides a clear differentiation in focus between
Kollwitz and the two men. Vallotton, a Swiss citizen who fought
in the war, presents battle scenes that are less emotional and
almost satirical in nature. Bellows, who never participated in
the war but produced his images in California, was inspired by
the nation's spirit of patriotism and by the work of Goya.
Kollwitz's seven images in the series called Krieg!
(War!), haunting images of the effects of war on those left
behind, are included in this exhibition. Together with other
examples of Kollwitz's work throughout her career, they offer
visitors a rare opportunity to see the work of one of the premier
female artists of the Twentieth Century and to view the anguish
of war from a unique perspective.
Although relatively unknown in the United States., Kollwitz is
well-known in Europe. A museum dedicated to her work is located
in Berlin.
This exhibition was created by Katie Poulin, a Hamilton senior
art history concentrator who received an Emerson Grant for Summer
Collaboration to study the differences between how men and women
view war. With loans from the Boston Public Library, Poulin
organized this show to celebrate the art of one of the first
female artists to portray war. Her collaborating professor was
associate professor of art Deborah Pokinski.
The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, opens on
December 5 and closes on February 22. A reception will be held
from 4 to 6 pm in the gallery on December 5.
The Emerson Gallery is on the Hamilton College campus, in the
Christian Johnson Hall directly behind the chapel. Gallery hours
are Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, and on Saturday and
Sunday from 1 to 5 pm. For information, 315-859-4396.
