Lament, 1938 – 1941 (Guss 1960)

About the Work

This is the mute lament of an artist, perpetuated in bronze. The image speaks of pain, grief and incomprehension: the overlarge, powerful hands are placed protectively over the mouth and eye, as if wanting to no longer be compelled to see the terrible events, or to suppress a scream. With this relief created during the Nazi dictatorship, Kollwitz recalls her artist friend Ernst Barlach, who had died in 1938 and who was ostracised like her. As early as 1920 she had formulated her artistic task timelessly and with universal validity: "I shall give voice to the suffering of man, which never ceases."