The artistic examination of human suffering is central to Käthe Kollwitz's oeuvre. She addresses themes such as mother and child, war, or death. The impressive charcoal drawing “Schwangere" (Pregnant Woman) is a preliminary study for sheet 4, “Die Witwe" (The Widow I) of the woodcut series “Krieg" (War) from 1922/23 and also fits the above-mentioned theme. In contrast to the final graphic version, the pregnant woman is only dressed in a plaid skirt and a dark cloak that leaves the chest uncovered. The head is bowed to the right, and the arms hang at her sides. The figure conveys a depressing and tired feeling, and the title of the later woodcut reveals the reason for her despair. Käthe Kollwitz shows a pregnant young woman; the father of the child will remain unknown to her, as he had probably been killed in action shortly before. The woman looks into the future with sadness and confusion. Hardly any other female artist could express such cruel topics on paper as mercilessly as Kollwitz, but she was far from being callous. Her skill earned her the distinction of becoming the first woman to be accepted as a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1919, and at the same time, she was appointed professor. As early as 1901, she became a member of the Berlin Secession and thus an essential figure in the art world, initially in the German Empire and later in the Weimar Republic. However, shortly after the Nazis came to power, Kollwitz was forced to leave the Academy, dismissed from her teaching post she was also prohibited from exhibiting. The social horrors and the horrors of war remained the artistic impetus for Käthe Kollwitz's work throughout her life, as the present “Schwangere” from 1920 demonstrates. [AW]