Käthe Kollwitz
Uprising
1899
Etching, drypoint, aquatint, brush etching, emery, and some roulette in black and red on copperplate paper
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett
This etching represents the artist’s first engagement with the theme of the German Peasants’ War of 1524/25, to which she later devoted a cycle. Like Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946) for his drama, Kollwitz also states that her source for this was Wilhelm Zimmermann’s (1807–1878) historical treatise.
The question arises as to whether she was not inspired to deal with the subject by the premiere of Florian Geyer in 1896. A comparison with Corinth’s watercolor reveals two defining elements that are found in both Corinth’s and Kollwitz’s works: the flag and the fire.