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for Henry Wolf
American, 1852 - 1916
As a teenager, Wolf moved from his hometown to nearby Strasbourg where he secured a job in a machine shop. In 1867, however, he left to enter the studio of Jacques Lévy, an engraver on wood. He remained with Lévy until the Franco-Prussian War compelled him to move to the United States. First in Albany New York and then in New York City, he sought engraving work. He studied briefly at the Cooper Union, worked for Frederick Juengling, and received commissions from Harper's, Scribner's, and the Century. By 1877, two years after his marriage to Rose Mass‚e, he was successful enough to work on his own account. In his later years, he specialized in the engraving of paintings, including several by Wiles.
Wiles's painting of Wolf is illustrative of his portrait methods. He claimed to draw with his brush, without any careful preliminary plan. Of primary concern early in the portrait's conception was the harmony of values. This, Wolf's face shows discrete areas of unblended color calculated to create a balance of light and dark and an impression of volume.
Wiles's painting of Wolf is illustrative of his portrait methods. He claimed to draw with his brush, without any careful preliminary plan. Of primary concern early in the portrait's conception was the harmony of values. This, Wolf's face shows discrete areas of unblended color calculated to create a balance of light and dark and an impression of volume.
