Provenance
Sold, Paul Graupe, Berlin, October 21-22, 1929, lot 309. Sold, Paul Graupe, Berlin, November 20, 1930, lot 203. August Klipstein (died 1951), Berne [according to registrar card]. Sold by Buchholz Gallery, New York, to the Art Institute, 1946.
Accession Number
55317
Medium
Graphite, with smudging, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
41.5 × 58.8 cm (16 3/8 × 23 3/16 in.)
Classification
graphite
Credit Line
Print Sales Miscellaneous Fund
Background & Context
Background Story
Kathe Kollwitz's Study for Raped (1907) is a graphite drawing with smudging on ivory laid paper, a preparatory study on the theme of sexual violence. The title indicates the subject: a woman who has been the victim of sexual assault. Kollwitz's treatment is characteristically direct and empathetic: the victim is shown not as an object of voyeuristic interest but as a human being whose suffering demands recognition. The graphite technique is searching and expressive, the lines defining the figure with an urgency that matches the gravity of the subject. This study is a powerful example of Kollwitz's commitment to representing the experiences of women and victims of violence.
Cultural Impact
Kollwitz's treatments of sexual violence were courageous for their time, addressing a subject that was rarely discussed in public.
Why It Matters
This study confronts the reality of sexual violence with Kollwitz's characteristic directness and empathy, the searching lines capturing the trauma of the victim.
