Artwork
The End (Ende)
The End (Ende) is a graphite print by the Impressionist artist Käthe Kollwitz. It dates from 1897 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1897, *The End* (German: *Ende*) is a print by German artist Käthe Kollwitz that combines aquatint, etching, and emery‑stone pencil. The work depicts a cramped interior illuminated dimly by a narrow window, where three figures attend a sick child lying on the floor. The composition conveys a palpable sense of anxiety and confinement.
Subject & Meaning
The scene presents a family in a modest, disorderly room: a standing figure holds the child’s hand, another leans over a makeshift bed, and a third remains in shadow. The child's outstretched hand and the surrounding gloom suggest vulnerability and the looming threat of illness or loss, reflecting Kollwitz’s recurring focus on human suffering and social hardship.
Technique & Style
Kollwitz employed a layered printmaking process, using etching to define line work and aquatint to achieve rich, velvety shadows. The addition of emery‑stone pencil allowed for subtle tonal variations and texture on the wooden walls and objects. This combination creates depth and a tactile quality that heightens the emotional intensity of the scene.
History & Provenance
*The End* belongs to the early period of Kollwitz’s career, when she was establishing herself as a socially engaged printmaker.
*The End* belongs to the early period of Kollwitz’s career, when she was establishing herself as a socially engaged printmaker. Produced before her later alignment with Expressionism, the work exemplifies her realist roots. Kollwitz later became the first woman elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts and the institution’s inaugural female honorary professor, underscoring the significance of this early print in her oeuvre.
Artist & collection
Artist
Käthe Kollwitz (German pronunciation: born Schmidt; 8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945) was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture.
