(Miesenbach 1807–1862 Vienna)
The Robbery, signed, dated, F. Gauermann 1834, oil on canvas, 60.5 x 74 cm, framed, (Rei)

Catalogued in:
Rupert Feuchtmüller, Friedrich Gauermann 1807–1862, published by Rosenheimer 1987, p.285, CR 152.

See:
Gauermann Archive, print room at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste 7033, sketch, pen, glazed, 16.4 x 19.7 cm, inscribed “Executed for Mr B. Rothschild in Paris 1834” “A travelling coach with four horses being attacked by robbers below ruins. To the left a wide valley, mountains.” Friedrich Gauermann’s book of receipts: 118, Rothschild to Paris, 300fl.

In the foreground, as if on a stage, the drama of a horse-drawn coach being attacked unfolds. A highwayman on a grey horse acts as a repoussoir figure, drawing the viewer’s eye into the scene. The drama of the struggle is highlighted by the horses in particular: one rears, with mane flowing, nostrils flared and eyes wide. We can almost hear the clattering of the horseshoes and neighing. The horse’s terror is clearly perceptible. The clouds gathering overhead mirror the dynamism and drama of the events taking place in the valley. Only the cliffs with the ruins are illuminated. But both the ruins and monumental, gnarled trees underscore the heroic grandeur of the scene. The interplay of light and colour is masterly, the arrangement of the animals well structured.
There were three key aspects to Friedrich Gauermann’s artistic development: his studies of nature, his exploration of the baroque tradition (both 17th century Dutch landscape painting, and 17th and 18th century paintings of fighting animals) and, last but not least, the contemporary artistic influences. His nature studies, in which Gauermann was encouraged by his father from an early age, were one of the most important sources for his art. He used his summers spent at the farmhouse in Miesenbach and the many trips to the Alps to study the natural world in detail. Friedrich Gauermann copied and studied Dutch landscape painting at the start of his artistic career, retaining this enthusiasm throughout his life. However, rather than slavishly copying these works, he isolated the atmospheric characteristics, compositional arrangements and a certain baroque dynamism which resonated with him. (Cf. Ulrike Jenni, Friedrich Gauermann 1807-1862, Ölskizzen und Zeichnungen im Kupferstichkabinett, Zur Arbeitsmethode des Malers, Vienna 1987, p.29.30.)
Thus Friedrich Gauermann probably drew his inspiration for the motif of a ‘horseback heist’ from the painting by Philips Wouwerman, part of the collection at the Vienna Academy, which he had copied in 1826. The theme certainly corresponded with the romantic spirit of the times, while simultaneously permitting the artist to portray a dramatic event involving depictions of animals in action.
Gauermann prepared several compositional studies for the oil painting. One is held by the print room at the Akademie der bildenden Künste (no. 7033), and another sheet of sketches by the Landesmuseum Niederösterreich (no. 586). This latter study outlines the composition in a series of eight sketches. Gauermann appears to have already decided on the painting’s landscape format (only one sketch is executed in portrait format). The artist’s sketches primarily show variations in his depiction of the landscape.
The sketches clearly demonstrate Gauermann’s working method; by leaving many details free and open-ended in his sketches, the artist was able to remain flexible in developing the image motif, giving free rein to his imagination. Lightly sketched elements often served only as place markers and were subsequently easy to alter. (Cf. Wolfgang Krug, Friedrich Gauermann 1807-1862, Aus der Sammlung des Niederösterreichischen Landesmuseums, Vienna-Munich 2001, p.148, 158).