Zorn and His Wife
1890
Medium
Etching on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 30.8 × 20.4 cm (12 3/16 × 8 1/16 in.); Plate: 31.7 × 21.2 cm (12 1/2 × 8 3/8 in.); Sheet: 42.4 × 32 cm (16 3/4 × 12 5/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
55304
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Anders Zorn's 1890 etching "Zorn and His Wife" offers an intimate glimpse into the Swedish artist's personal world. Created during the height of his international career, the work portrays the painter and his wife, Emma, rendered with the delicate lines and subtle tonal contrasts that define his printmaking. As a self-portrait, it reflects the quiet domestic moments behind Zorn's more famous society portraits and lively outdoor scenes. Etching on cream wove paper allowed Zorn to achieve remarkable precision and texture, a technique that flourished in the late nineteenth century for its ability to produce multiple high-quality impressions. The modest image size of roughly 30.8 by 20.4 centimeters draws viewers close, inviting them to appreciate the fine cross-hatching and fluid strokes that convey both likeness and atmosphere. This print exemplifies how Zorn elevated etching from reproduction to a respected art form in its own right. Now part of the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection, the work continues to charm visitors with its blend of technical mastery and personal warmth, reminding us of the human stories behind great art.
About the Artist
Anders Zorn · 1860–1920
Anders Zorn (1860–1920), one of Sweden's most celebrated artists, was born on February 18 in Utmeland near Mora in Dalarna, and raised on his maternal grandparents' farm in the nearby hamlet of Yvraden. Displaying prodigious talent from a young age, he attended school in Mora Strand until age twelve, followed by secondary grammar school in Enköping, where he excelled in drawing people and horses. ...