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The classical theme of mother and child became filled with socialist ideological content in the works of some twentieth-century artists. Even the German expressionists wanted to achieve more than simply the deep emotional effect that is aroused by the sight of an expectant mother or a woman carrying her child. Their thin harassed women cry for sympathy and urge others to revolt against social injustice.
Derkovits's Mother series also attempt to arouse similar human emotions. The most beautiful piece in the series is the rose-tinted picture he complcted in 1934. All the works radiate that eternal human emotion, the desire to protect shelter and cherish a young life. It was a preliminary sketch for the full-scale painting. In the composition, the artist made the most of the expressive effect of the circular shapes--the heads of mother and child-placed in the square frame of the picture. This charcoal drawing was bought from Derkovits's widow in 1935.
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