(Wels 1833–1898 Vienna)
“Sonnenaufgang am 16. Februar 1873 im Packeis zwischen Nowaja Semla and Franz Josef Land” inscribed on the reverse (Sunrise on 16 February 1873 in the Pack-Ice between Novaja Semlya and Franz Josef Land) , signed, dated and inscribed A. Obermüllner Wien 1875, oil on canvas, 36.5 x 46 cm, framed, (Rei)

Compare:
Friedrich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, Hofheim am Taunus 1979, Vol II, 1, p. 168, no. 29–32.

Adolf Obermüllner executed the present painting according to an original by the illustrator and polar explorer Julius Payer who took part in the Austrian-Hungarian expedition of 1872-74 to the North Pole via the polar ice of Novaja Semlya. He produced many drawings during this expedition, evidence of the frequent hardships and privations its members endured. Obermüllner studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Vienna. After his studies he enjoyed great success as an alpine painter which certainly encouraged his interest in depicting nature. He was appointed artistic leader of an expedition to climb a glacier in 1861. Drawings and paintings of extreme natural landscapes demonstrate his growing interest in expedition achievements and a desire to bring these to a wider audience.