A Huntsman and a Peasant Woman by the Isar River with a View of Munich 1823

Wilhelm von Kobell painted "A Huntsman and a Peasant Woman by the Isar River with a View of Munich" with oils on canvas. You can see how the smoothness of the paint allows him to capture the light reflecting off the figures' clothing and the animals' coats. The landscape, carefully rendered, reflects the economic structures of the time. The leisure activities of the upper classes are juxtaposed against the working life of the peasantry. Oil paint, itself, was becoming increasingly industrialized during this period, allowing artists to achieve unprecedented levels of detail and realism. The brushstrokes are nearly invisible here, creating a polished surface that speaks to the rising merchant class and their taste for refined goods. It is through attention to the materials and the process that we see how even a seemingly straightforward landscape painting is deeply embedded in the social and economic realities of its time.