Today In History: German artist reveals WWI Memorial

CAIRO – 20 August 2017: On August 20, 1932, an artistic work called “The Grieving Parents” was revealed as a memorial for soldiers killed during WWI.

It was constructed by the iconic German artist Kathe Kollwitz. She spent more than 10 years working on this sculpture.

She was one of the important artists who followed Expressionism, in addition to her activity, efforts, and support of German and National Socialism.

The story of her work lies in a personal tragedy. In 1918, she lost her son Peter, who volunteered in the German Army when the First World War started. Peter was killed in the early battlefields of the war at the age of 19, and Kollwitz has suffered from anxiety, and depression every since.

Her aim was to portray the strength and the passion of the young for their country, but she could not help but focus on the sorrow of the parents in the sculpture.

The statue stands in Vladslo German military cemetery in Flanders, Belgium as a memorial to her son and the other soldiers. There are statues of Parents on their knees before the grave of their son.

Kollwitz believed that art should express the troubles of man, express the life of humans, and reflect the grief of people. She also produced a series of paintings to reflect the impact of war on families.

She was the first female artist elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts. She has produced more than 256 prints, a number of self portraits, sculptures, and a series of drawings.

In 1986, the largest collection of Kollwitz works were placed in a museum that carries her name in Berlin.