Lafette mit Mörser Studie zu ‘Künstlerfreunde lösen einen Kanonenschuss auf der Festung Michele bei Ostia’ before 1849

Johann Peter Krafft made this drawing of a cannon carriage as a study for a painting about artists firing a cannon. This image raises many questions about the social role of the artist. Krafft was a history painter in Vienna, then the capital of the Austrian Empire. Following the Napoleonic Wars, the empire was keen to re-establish its authority. After 1815, art became a tool of state, to remind the people of their rulers' power. But in this drawing, Krafft seems to connect artistic creation and military might. What could it mean to suggest that making art is like firing a cannon? Was Krafft implying that art could challenge existing social norms, perhaps by critiquing powerful institutions? To understand this image, we can research the role of art in early 19th-century Austria, looking at exhibition catalogues, art criticism, and the writings of artists themselves.