Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

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Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
German: Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer
Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer above the sea of fog.jpg
ArtistCaspar David Friedrich
Yearc. 1818
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions94.8 cm × 74.8 cm (37.3 in × 29.4 in)
LocationHamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog[a] is a painting by German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich made in 1818.[2] It has been considered one of the masterpieces of the Romanticism movement and one of its most representative works. The artwork is on display in the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg, Germany.

Description[edit]

In the foreground, a man stands upon a rocky precipice with his back to the viewer. He is wrapped in a dark green overcoat, and grips a walking stick in his right hand.[3] His hair caught in a wind, the wanderer gazes out on a landscape covered in a thick sea of fog. In the middle ground, several other ridges, perhaps not unlike the ones the wanderer himself stands upon, jut out from the mass.[4] Through the wreaths of fog, forests of trees can be perceived atop these escarpments. In the far distance, faded mountains rise in the left, gently leveling off into lowland plains in the right. Beyond here, the pervading fog stretches out indefinitely, eventually commingling with the horizon and becoming indistinguishable from the cloud-filled sky.[3]

The painting is composed of various elements from the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Saxony and Bohemia, sketched in the field but in accordance with his usual practice, rearranged by Friedrich himself in the studio for the painting. In the background to the right is the Zirkelstein.[5] The mountain in the background to the left could be either the Rosenberg or the Kaltenberg. The group of rocks in front of it represent the Gamrig near Rathen. The rocks on which the traveler stands are a group on the Kaiserkrone.[6]

Commentary[edit]

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is closely associated with Romanticism, a broad artistic and literary movement that emerged after the Age of Enlightenment.[7] While the identity of the man is uncertain, some have suggested it is a self-portrait of the artist himself, pointing to similarities in appearance, such as the red hair,[8] and for this reason the painting has been widely interpreted as an emblem of self-reflection or contemplation of life's path.[4][9][3] Friedrich stated his ideas in regards to this, "The artist should paint not only what he has in front of him but also what he sees inside himself."[10]

Robert Macfarlane discusses the painting in terms of its significant influence on how mountain climbing has been viewed in the Western world since the Romantic era, calling it the "archetypical image of the mountain-climbing visionary", and describing its power in representing the concept that standing on mountain tops is something to be admired, an idea which barely existed in earlier centuries.[11]

The image has been used on the cover of numerous books to convey the sublime ideal, horror, mystery, or other evocative emotions.

Similar work[edit]

The motif of seeing the subject of the work from behind appears in several other works of Friedrich's, including Two Men by the Sea at Moonrise and Neubrandenburg.[5]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ also known as Wanderer above the Mist, Mountaineer in a Misty Landscape[1] or Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer in German

References[edit]

  1. ^ Arts Council of Great Britain (1959). The romantic movement. Fifth exhibition to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Council of Europe, 10 July to 27 September 1959, the Tate Gallery and the Arts Council Gallery, London. Hathi Trust. Arts Council of Great Britain.
  2. ^ Exhibition Catalogue: Caspar David Friedrich. Die Underling der Romantic in Essen ind Hamburg, Firmer Verlag, München (December 2006), page 267
  3. ^ a b c Gaddis, John Lewis (2004). "The Landscape of History". The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past. Oxford University Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 0-19-517157-8.
  4. ^ a b Gorra, Michael Edward (2004). The Bells in Their Silence: Travels Through Germany. Princeton University Press. pp. 11-12. ISBN 0-691-11765-9. JSTOR j.ctt7sr5d.
  5. ^ a b Grave, Johannes (2012). Caspar David Friedrich. Translated by Elliot, Fiona. Prestel. p. 202–206. ISBN 978-3791346281.
  6. ^ Hoch, Karl-Ludwig (1987). Caspar David Friedrich und die böhmischen Berge. Dresden: Kohlhammer Verlag. p. 215. ISBN 9783170094062.
  7. ^ Gunderson, Jessica (2008). Romanticism. The Creative Company. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-58341-613-6.
  8. ^ "A Closer Look at Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich". drawpaintacademy.com. 10 February 2020.
  9. ^ Dembo, Ron S.; Freeman, Andrew (January 19, 2001). The Rules of Risk: A Guide for Investors. Wiley. p. 10. ISBN 0-471-40163-3.
  10. ^ "Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich (Ca. 1817)." Scholastic Art
  11. ^ Macfarlane, Robert (2003). Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination. Granta Books. p. 157. ISBN 9781847080394.

External links[edit]

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