Heinrich Wolff (1875–1940) was one of the outstanding graphic artists in East Prussia. He founded the first private school of graphic art in Munich, after that he taught in Konigsberg Academy of Fine Arts. The European public adored him. He spent many efforts to popularize graphic art and made his apprentices love it. In 1918, he even founded an artistic association comprising Wolff’s students and his peers (teachers).

The contemporaries valued Wolff’s graphics for expressive manner and skillful technique. In fact, the artist was an adept of numerous techniques — copperplate print, aquatint, etching and many others. Some experts believe: the reason the coloristic features of painting were not relevant in his case. Today, his own collection is in the Artistic Library of Prussian Cultural Fund in Berlin.

Throughout his artistic life, Wolff created over a hundred portraits. Artists, writers, doctors and teachers of Konigsberg Academy were his heroes — all of them had a significant impact on the city life.

Wolff created his Self-Portrait with Wife in 1916. Elizabeth, the artist’s wife, shared her husband’s interests and studied graphics. Wolff depicted himself sitting close to the end of a round table, its edge is visible in the lower part of the composition. His image is a traditional thousandth portrait often used in pictorial art, and his wife is in profile.

The first thing to focus on is the artist’s work with light and shade — the entire space in the drawing is lit only by a single table-lamp, which brings the faces of the personages out of the darkness. This creates a cozy atmosphere and makes the piece look like chamber art. Wolff skillfully drew the shadows and facile glitter making the traits softer.

James Whistler, the British-American artist of the 19th century, was the first one to call etching an intimate art. Heinrich Wolff chose this delicate manner. His Self-Portrait with Wife like many other graphic pieces of his looks exquisite and simple at the same time.