Making Modernism: Paula Modersohn-Becker, Kthe Kollwitz, Gabriele Mnter and Marianne Werefkin Price Dorothy

Painterly transformations of feminine identity from a group of German ExpressionistsKthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907), Gabriele Mnter (1877-1962) and Marianne Werefkin (1860-1938) are among the exceptional artists associated with the emergence of Expressionism in Germany in the early decades of the 20th century. As women, they were expected to marry and raise a family; some chose to, some did not. Each challenged prevailing ideals of feminine identity at a time of great societal change.

Their portraits of children symbolize joy, hope and innocence but also melancholy, tension, curiosity, the passing of time and unfulfilled desire. As ambitious artists, they wanted to work.As they rose to these challenges, their art further undermined conventions. Their radical depictions of the nude wrest the female body away from the male gaze