The Dead Man. Woman Grieving over her Dead Husband 1939 - 1941

Svend Rathsack probably made this sculpture, 'The Dead Man. Woman Grieving over her Dead Husband', with a hammer and chisel, taking away stone bit by bit. Imagine him, day after day, carefully considering each strike as the figures slowly emerge. I’m struck by the woman’s pose. Her hands are clasped above her head, a gesture of grief and despair, maybe even helplessness. But there’s also something strong and powerful about the way she holds herself. The contrast between her erect figure and the limp form of the dead man is intense. Her body is a column, a testament to grief, but also survival. Rathsack’s rough, textured surface communicates so much. It’s almost brutal in its honesty. The material itself—the stone—becomes part of the story. We can feel the weight of it, the permanence, but also the fragility of life. It reminds me that artists are always in conversation, responding to those who came before, and paving the way for those who come after.