| Early Modern |

The great war, WWI, drastically influenced the daily lives of people including art. According to Lisa Kljaich, “World War 1 shook the art world to its foundations. After the war, artists, both shocked and horrified, were also inspired by the destruction of traditional values that have been held so dear. They saw it as a chance to rebuild something new in an industrialized future.”

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“Mothers” by Kathe Kollwitz 

Eschewing the historical narratives and detailed compositions of her earlier work, Kollwitz created prints that became iconic images of grief and trauma. In Mothers, women and children of various ages huddle together, their linked bodies forming a solid structure that fills the composition. Kollwitz drew herself in the center, eyes closed and arms wrapped protectively around her two sons: Hans, the elder, and Peter, who was killed in combat at eighteen. The artist wrote about this work with pride and tenderness in a letter of February 1919: "I have drawn the mother who embraces her two children; I am with my own children, born from me, my Hans and my Peterchen." (The Met)

“Mothers” is an emotionally provoking piece. At first glance, it is possible to not realize that this is created from WW1 and could be a sad group of people; however, I initially thought it was a group of persecuted Jews from WW1. After reading the history of this piece, it is apparent that this piece was created because of experiences during WW1.

I choose this piece because I was emotionally connected to this piece. The woman hugging her two children in the near center of this piece stood out to me. I can see the mothers eyes are closed and there is a somber look to the children’s expression. All the people are tightly squeezed together as if they are forced to be standing there. The longer I look at this piece, the more haunting it becomes. The person in the upper, left corner covering her eyes with her hands expresses extreme sorrow to me. The expression of the mother on the left side holding a baby and embracing a toddler near her waist has a look of shock oh her face. Lastly the mother on the right holding a baby has a look of dread. It breaks my heart to know the mother in the middle lost her son to the war. I think that this piece in charcoal rather than color is very impactful. The travesty and loss of life during war is written in all of their faces.

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Many artists of this time saw firsthand the devasting destruction of the war. Because there were a large number of artists who experienced combat firsthand, either as soldiers, medics, or war artists documenting life at the front (with many suffering severe injuries or death), several figures produced work either at the front or based on their experiences engaging in or witnessing combat. (The Met)

Der Krieg “The War” triptych by Otto Dix. 1929-1932

The ‘War’ is one of the best-known depictions of the horrors of the war in the 20th century. Dix started to paint this painting in 1929, ten years after World War I. During these years, he had time to absorb the reality of what he went through in its true perspective. On the left of the painting, German soldiers are marching off to battle, while in the middle, there is a scene of mangled bodies and ruined buildings. On the right, he’s picturing himself rescuing a fellow wounded soldier. Under the triptych, there is a horizontal piece with a lying soldier probably sleeping for eternity. It’s evident that war profoundly affected Otto Dix, as an individual and as an artist. (The Collector)

This piece was created from a firsthand experience of WW1. Horror, grief, devastation, and gruesome damage are all depicted in this triptych. This piece is hard for me to view. The only side I can look at for more than a few seconds is the soldiers headed into battle on the left. It’s eerie and stormy. The middle piece is violent and disturbing. The mangled bodies dismembered on the group, hanging from sticks, and throughout the entire piece. The use of color is very effective in this piece. I like that the same colors are used throughout the entire work. For instance, the sky in the left and center pieces have the same red sky on the horizon. The fire is very catching in the piece on the right. The dark color palette of the bottom piece creates a very disturbing mood. I can’t imagine going through these experiences, living with the memories, and then reliving them when creating the artwork. 

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A group of artists and intellectuals began hanging out at the Cafe Voltaire in Zurich, Switzerland as early as 1916 in order to escape the horrors of the war. From this group sprung a new art movement, Dada. The Dada artists felt the tradition had created the war and traditions should be rejected. As artists, they intended to break every mold that tradition had created. (Kljaich)

“LHOOQ” by Marcel Duchamp 1919

This work is a classic example of Dada irreverence towards traditional art. Duchamp transformed a cheap postcard of the Mona Lisa (1517) painting, which had only recently been returned to the Louvre after it was stolen in 1911. While it was already a well-known work of art, the publicity from the theft ensured that it became one of the most revered and famous works of art: art with a capital A. On the postcard, Duchamp drew a mustache and a goatee onto Mona Lisa's face and labeled it L.H.O.O.Q. If the letters are pronounced as they would be by a native French speaker, it would sound as if one were saying "Elle a chaud au cul," which loosely translates as "She has a hot ass." Again, Duchamp managed to offend everyone while also posing questions that challenged artistic values, artistic creativity, and the overall canon.

 This piece appears as a joke…someone being a smart aleck. It’s obviously a rejection of one of the most revered pieces of artwork of all time, the Mona Lisa. What I think is so provocative about this piece is the absolute simplicity of the mustache. So simple and not requiring an immense amount of talent, yet the message is loud and obvious. It hard not to snicker when the explanation of the letters is described!

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Works Cited

Farrell, Jennifer. “Art as Influence and Response: A First Look at World War 1 and the Visual Arts.” The Met. Art as Influence and Response: A First Look at World War I and the Visual Arts | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org). Accessed on April 10, 2023.

Kljaich, Lisa, “Classical Era Content.” Explorations in Art, F200X 001, UAF Online, Class Lecture.

Polyzoidou, Stella. “6 Artists Who Depicted Traumatic & Brutal Experiences of World War 1.” The Collector. 6 Artists Who Depicted Traumatic & Brutal Experiences of World War I (thecollector.com). Accessed April 10, 2023.

The Art Story. “Dada.” Dada Movement Overview and Key Ideas | TheArtStory. Accessed April 10, 2023.