Rudolf Wilke

His artistic inclinations led him in another direction, however, and he took lessons from the landscape painter, Adolf Nickol, at the polytechnic academy in Braunschweig.

He decided to settle in Munich, and opened a studio with his friend, the architect Bruno Paul.

In 1896, he took part in a competition sponsored by the cultural magazine, Jugend, and was chosen to join their staff.

They had two children; Charlotte [de], who became an artist, and Ulfert, who emigrated to the United States and became a museum director..[2] In 1906 Wilke, along with Olaf Gulbransson, Ludwig Thoma, and Eduard Thöny, persuaded Langen to convert Simplicissimus into a joint stock company, thereby giving more power to the staff to control the journal's direction.

From 1954 to 1993, the city of Braunschweig awarded a "Rudolf Wilke Prize", which included 1,500 Marks for a study trip abroad.