Unknown Artist (Munich School) - 19th century - On the Hunt, Oil on Canvas (Hunting Scene, Hunting with Dogs, Hunting Dog, Hunting)

Dimensions:
Frame 76 cm × 61 cm
Oil on canvas
Unknown Artist (Munich School)
“On the Hunt”
A dynamic hunting scene by an unknown artist associated with the Munich School, dated to the second half of the 19th century. The painting depicts a rider in the midst of a hunt—a man in hunting attire, mounted on a bay horse, in the dramatic moment of the chase. The composition, full of movement and energy, captures both the tension of the action and a perfect understanding of equine anatomy and the dynamics of movement.
The painting is rendered in a warm, earthy color palette characteristic of the artists of Munich Realism. The use of broad, impasto brushstrokes in the landscape and clothing details, in contrast to the softer rendering of the animals, reveals the influence of the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, where, among others, Józef Brandt, Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski, Maksymilian Gierymski, and Józef Chełmoński.
The theme of the hunt—a popular motif in 19th-century painting—carried not only a narrative element but also a symbolic one: the depiction of fortitude, courage, and man’s connection with nature. The painting fits into this tradition, combining a realistic depiction of the scene with painterly freedom and a lively, spirited execution.
--------------------
The Munich School—an informal name for a group of painters active in Munich from the mid-19th century until 1914. They did not form a homogeneous artistic group; rather, they were artists who came to Munich to study or participate in exhibitions, sometimes settling there permanently. Despite the lack of a unified program, certain trends characteristic of this school can be identified, primarily related to Polish themes: the Romantic trend encompassed historical and battle scenes, while the Realist trend was dominated by genre scenes and landscapes. The group’s informal leader was Józef Brandt, who settled permanently in Bavaria and opened his own studio there to train young artists; meanwhile, the Munich artists’ patron was Count Ignacy Korwin Milewski, an art patron and collector. Among the painters associated with this circle were Józef Brandt, Maksymilian and Aleksander Gierymski, Józef Chełmoński, Henryk Siemiradzki, Olga Boznańska, Jan Matejko, and Juliusz and Wojciech Kossak.
Condition as shown in the photos.