Voices of Suffering (Kollwitz & Orozco) @ the McNay

Drawn from the McNay’s renowned print collection, this exhibition brings together a selection of rarely-seen prints by Käthe Kollwitz and Jose Clemente Orozco. Personal experiences associated with the emerging workers’ movement, Mexican Revolution, and World War I influenced their political sympathies, prompting Kollwitz’s deep empathy for her subjects but Orozco’s increasing cynicism about the course of history. Both artists skillfully manipulated the black-and-white medium to evoke intense emotional undercurrents of human suffering, unspeakable grief, and strength of will. The hardship and despair endured by downtrodden working-class women is a recurring theme throughout the haunting works on display.

Käthe Kollwitz is an important artist of peace & justice. “The Survivors,” shown below, is from MOMA in NYC.