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Käthe Kollwitz
German, 1867-1945
Mary and Elizabeth, c. 1928
Woodcut

Two women share a tender embrace, boldly rendered in this woodcut. When Mary learned from the archangel Gabriel that her elder cousin Elizabeth had become miraculously pregnant at an advanced age, she went to visit Elizabeth. Käthe Kollwitz communicates the distress and shock these kinswomen must have felt in the face of such unexpected pregnancies, along with solace and comfort in one another and their faith. The moment these two meet is known as the Visitation, portrayed here as a modern depiction of a traditional subject. Kollwitz understood and studied the depths of human emotion in her unflinching and raw imagery. Here, she highlights the natural grain of the woodblock and excludes any symbolic details to focus solely on the sense of love and deep closeness embodied in this emotional moment.