What if I told you this bronze sculpture is more than just art? It’s a story of maternal love. Look closely at the Mutter mit Kind. It depicts a nude mother sitting. She embraces her two children. They are a toddler and a baby.
Käthe Kollwitz created this important work. She was a German artist. Throughout her career, she explored motherhood. She was a passionate mother. Family life was important to her. Her art expressed this intimacy. You can see it in her prints, drawings, and sculptures.
The Mutter mit Kind is monumental. It shows the most natural form of motherhood. It’s a scene of tranquillity. It illustrates unconditional love. There is comfort and care between mother and children.
Kollwitz’s journey to create this masterpiece was long. As early as 1912, she conceived the idea. She pictured a mother and child. But the execution took another 20 years. Kollwitz said the maternal embrace is not satisfied with just one child.
In 1923, her twin granddaughters, Jördis and Jutta, were born. Their birth inspired her. She included two children in the composition. In 1932, Kollwitz finally started work on the sculpture.
The Mutter mit Kind shows a mother squatting. She merges with her children. It forms a protective block. Round shapes define the composition. All body parts are reduced to essentials.
The sculpture is nude. It is a metaphor for ancient motherly love. For Kollwitz, it was the strongest feeling. It is paired with the fear of losing children.
The original model was made in clay. Then, it was cast in plaster. It was completed in 1936. The first two bronze casts were made in the late 1950s. The Giesserei Schmäke foundry in Düsseldorf produced them. From the late 1970s, ten more bronze casts were made. Giesserei Noack in Berlin produced them. They were for commercial distribution. Most of these casts are in public institutions. Only a few remain in private collections.
The monumental bronze sculpture “Mother with Two Children” is Kollwitz’s most important work. It is her most important work within her entire sculptural oeuvre.
Kollwitz visited Auguste Rodin in Paris in 1901 and 1904. Hugo von Tschudi asked Rodin to receive her. He was the director of the Berlin National Gallery. She attended a two-month sculpture course. It was at the Académie Julian. Around 1910, she seriously focused on sculpture.
Look at the closed eyes of the figures in Mutter mit Kind. They suggest peace. They convey a deep connection. The sculpture radiates warmth. It expresses the essence of maternal love. It’s a timeless representation.