Q131586366

This second 1872 canvas by Rudolf Koller in the Kunsthaus Zürich — complementing the panel work from the same year — shows the range of his activity in the immediate pre-Gotthard Post period. With The Gotthard Post compositions taking shape in 1873, the 1872 canvases represent Koller's work in the months before what would become his most famous achievement. He was at the peak of his technical facility, his knowledge of horses deepened by years of intensive study, and the agricultural and transport subjects he favoured were still directly available to him in the Swiss countryside. The Kunsthaus collection's depth of coverage for this year suggests the institution was actively acquiring his work as it was made.

This 1872 canvas demonstrates Koller's full mature technique: confident compositional structure, assured animal anatomy, and controlled atmospheric handling. The paint surface shows the considered layering of an experienced professional — underpainting, mid-tones, and selective detail applied in sequence with each phase building on the last.