For the purposes of our article, we will focus on German Romanticism, providing a context for Caspar David Friedrich’s artworks. It is important to note that Romanticism developed across European countries like France, Germany, England, and Spain. Romanticism was also categorized as more emotive and subjective and moved away from the intellectualism that came from preceding movements like Neoclassicism during the mid-1700s. This novel greatly influenced Romanticism, which developed afterward. Additionally, the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a leading proponent of the movement and became widely known for his publication The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774).įirst edition of The Sorrows of Young Werther by German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons It was most prevalent in music and literature and received its name from the Sturm und Drang (1777) play by Friedrich Maximillian Klinger. The importance of this movement was the emphasis on emotion and self-expression, and it is commonly described as “subjective”. Sturm und Drang was a German movement, meaning “Storm and Stress”, active during the latter half of the 1700s. It was believed that the earlier Sturm und Drang movement was a precursor to the Romantic movement. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich was painted during the early 1800s, at a time in Europe when Romanticism was a prevailing style in arts and culture, ranging from literature, visual arts, and music. ArtistĬontextual Analysis: A Brief Socio-Historical Overview We will then provide a formal analysis, discussing the subject matter and Friedrich’s artistic approaches in terms of the art elements like color, texture, line, form, and space, which all set the tone for an ambient and deeply moving subject. In German this painting is titled Der Wanderer Über Dem Nebelmeer. 1818) by Caspar David Friedrich in Contextīelow we will provide a brief contextual analysis exploring the Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog meaning. His artworks influenced many other art styles like Surrealism, Symbolism, and Abstract Expressionism. In Friedrich’s personal life, he experienced numerous deaths of family and friends, and he was remembered as a solitary person. He became popular for his landscape paintings that were deeply rooted in aspects of the sublime and spiritual. He attended the Copenhagen Academy from 1794 to 1798, after which he relocated to Dresden. 1808) by Gerhard von Kügelgen, located in the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Germany Gerhard von Kügelgen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons In his early years, he studied under Johann Gottfried Quistorp at the University of Greifswald and was introduced to various other notable artists and ideas around nature and God.

5.3 Where Is Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog?Īrtist Abstract: Who Was Caspar David Friedrich?Ĭaspar David Friedrich was born on 5 September 1774 and died on, in Germany in the town of Greifswald.

5.2 When Was Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog Made?.5.1 Who Painted Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog?.4 In the Presence and Precipice of Greatness.3 Formal Analysis: A Brief Compositional Overview.2.1.1 The Man and His Outfit: Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog Meaning.2.1 Contextual Analysis: A Brief Socio-Historical Overview.

1818) by Caspar David Friedrich in Context 1 Artist Abstract: Who Was Caspar David Friedrich?.

Wanderer above a sea of fog