"The Dark Side of Life": 19th-Century Narrative Cycles

“The dark side of life” is a quote from the German artist Max Klinger (1857-1920) when comparing painting to the graphic arts.  Klinger said that the black and white abstraction of the graphic arts was better suited to depicting the emotional and social realities of contemporary life than the coloristic optimism of painting.  Five sets composed by artists Alfred Rethel, Kathe Kollwitz, and Max Klinger represent the emerging interest in 19^th century Europe in narrative series that thematically engage the modern world whose visualization does not rely on religious or mythical promises.  Rather the modern world is seen in an unconventional and oft times searing light.