Born in Soldin in 1791, August Bedřich Piepenhagen was a self-taught painter. He
came from modest circumstances and was apprenticed to his father throughout his
childhood and adolescence. Upon a trip to Switzerland, he was greatly inspired by the
artwork he encountered there and led him to autodidactic painting practices. He briefly
stayed in Zurich with the landscape painter Johann Heinrich Wuest, who introduced him
to some artistic techniques. Piepenhagen was greatly inspired by the works of Caspar
D. Friedrich, which is evident in his style.