Adolphe Schreyer (German, 1828-1899)
Wallachian Pack Train
Oil on canvas
39 1/2 x 67 1/2 inches
Gift of Nathan and Jessie Kimberly Paine
1946.150
German Romantic painter Adolphe Schreyer is best known for his powerful depictions of horses and his interest in exotic imagery derived from extensive travels in Europe and the East. He painted with a rich color palette and in an expressive, dynamic style. In 1855 he served as a field artist in the Crimean War. During and after the war, Schreyer executed a major series of paintings about Wallachia, a historical region of present-day Romania described as a bleak country with an extreme climate.
The Paine’s Wallachian Pack Train by Adolphe Schreyer is steeped in drama, capturing the fury of both the tumultuous pack of horses and the harsh winter landscape.