Artwork
The Couple, Self-Portrait with Wife (Das Paar, Selbstporträt mit Frau)
The Couple, Self-Portrait with Wife (Das Paar, Selbstporträt mit Frau) is an ink print by Walter Gramatté. It dates from 1922 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Couple, Self-Portrait with Wife is a 1922 drypoint print by Walter Gramatté, a German artist associated with Expressionism.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts two figures sitting together, their faces indistinct, with one holding flowers. The image reflects Gramatté's personal experiences and struggles, including his encounters with illness and the impact of World War I.
Technique & Style
Gramatté used drypoint, a technique where a metal plate is scratched to create textured lines, to produce the print. The blue-green color results from ink being pressed into these grooves, creating a distinctive visual effect with sharp, curved strokes and a flat, dark background.
Artist & collection
Artist
Walter Gramatté (8 January 1897 in Berlin – 9 February 1929 in Hamburg) was a German expressionist painter who specialized in magic realism.
Self-Portrait in Front of Stairs (Selbst vor Treppe)
Tired Man (Self-Portrait)
Smiling Head, Self-portrait (Lächelnder Kopf, Selbstporträt)
Self-Portrait
Man in a Room, Self-portrait
Man at the Sea, Self-portrait (Mann am Meer, Selbstporträt)
Bust of a Young Man, Self-portrait (Knabenkopf, Selbstporträt)
Bust of a Weary Man, Self-portrait (Ermüdender Kopf, Selbstporträt)
Bird Girl, Sonia Gramatté (Vogelmädchen, Sonia Gramatté)
Fanny Wocke
Girl with Hand
Untitled
Tired Woman, Sonia Gramatté (Müder Mädchenkopf, Sonia Gramatté)
Heads of Two Girls
Untitled
Homecoming (Heimkehr)
Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte: Der Verkauf des Schattens (Peter Schlemihl's Wondrous Story: The Sale of His Shadow)
The Couple (Das Paar)