Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski was a prominent Polish painter of the nineteenth century and an important representative of the Munich School. He was born in 1849 in a part of Poland that was under Russian rule at the time. His artistic education took him from Warsaw to Dresden and Prague before he finally settled in Munich in 1873.

In Munich, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and soon began working in the studio of his compatriot and teacher, Józef Brandt. There, he developed his style and choice of subject matter, which would come to define his artistic career and contribute to his success. Through Brandt, he also became part of the Polish artistic circle in Munich and established himself as one of the leading artists of the Munich School.

This group of artists focused primarily on landscape and portrait painting and enjoyed strong support from King Ludwig I of Bavaria, including dedicated exhibition spaces. Over time, Wierusz-Kowalski became one of the most highly regarded painters within this circle, and in 1890 he was appointed professor at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts.