August von Pettenkofen

[1] After his father's death, he grew up with the family of his cousin Ferdinand von Saar in Vienna.

In 1834, giving up a military career,[2] he became a student at the Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied with Leopold Kupelwieser and Franz Eybl.

While performing his duties, he spent some time in Szolnok, Hungary; an area which left a great impression on him and led to his style becoming more picturesque.

His paintings are recognized for the sincerity with which the artist depicts the uneventful melancholy life of Hungarian peasants and gypsies, without any theatrical pathos or forced humour.

In 1893, he was buried in a grave of honor (German: Ehrengrab), designed by Viktor Tilgner, at the Zentralfriedhof.