chreyer Christian Adolf
(Frankfurt-am-Main 1828 - Kronberg im Taunus 1899)
Horseman on the Russian Steppe
Biography
Schreyer was one of the most successful Oriental painters of his generation, winning numerous international awards and honours. During his artistic training, he studied equine anatomy, and his work is notable for the confidence with which he depicts horses. He first travelled to Russia and the Caucasus as an artist-reporter, assigned to cover the Crimean War, but he continued to explore the region throughout his life, immersing himself with local customs and traditions. Early in his career he tended to depict the frenzy of battle, but as he matured his figures become more solitary and studied, as can be seen in the present piece. His work stands apart from the tightly painted and extremely detailed paintings of his German and Austro-Hungarian contemporaries, due to the bravura of his loose and expressive technique.