Gretchen Murdering Her Child 1852

Emanuel Leutze made this pen and ink drawing called Gretchen Murdering Her Child in the 19th century. This drawing depicts a dark subject which is from Goethe's Faust, a tragic play about a man who makes a deal with the devil. Gretchen, also known as Margarete, is a central character whose life is ruined after she falls in love with Faust, becomes pregnant, and is ostracized by society. In a fit of despair, she murders her illegitimate child. Leutze, a German-American artist, often dealt with themes of history, revolution, and social justice. In nineteenth-century Germany, there was increasing emphasis on individual freedom, which challenged traditional moral and religious norms. Leutze’s drawing captures the psychological torment and social pressures faced by Gretchen, reflecting a society grappling with changing attitudes towards morality, gender, and individual responsibility. To better understand this artwork, one could research the reception of Goethe's "Faust" in 19th-century Germany, or look into legal and social attitudes toward infanticide. Art is always made in dialogue with the society that surrounds it.