Austrian Peasants with a Horse and Cart, with Vienna in the Distance

During the Napoleonic era (1799 - 1815), Austria had seen an influx of German artists. The trend persisted even after peace returned in 1815, as German artists continued to be attracted to the beauty and character of the Austrian countryside and its inhabitants. This fresh watercolor conflates three of Johann Adam Klein's primary artistic interests: scenes of daily life, horses, and landscapes. It also reveals his layered working method: he began with energetic pencil drawing and then applied watercolor with varying degrees of density to provide bursts of color.