| Wanderer above the Sea of Fog | |
|---|---|
| German:Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer | |
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| Artist | Caspar David Friedrich |
| Year | c. 1818 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 94.8 cm × 74.8 cm (37.3 in × 29.4 in) |
| Location | Hamburger Kunsthalle,Hamburg |
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog[a] is a painting byGerman Romanticist artistCaspar David Friedrich in 1818.[2] It depicts a man standing upon a rockyprecipice with his back to the viewer; he is gazing out on a landscape covered in a thicksea of fog through which other ridges, trees, and mountains pierce, which stretches outinto the distance indefinitely.
It is considered to be one of themasterpieces of theRomantic movement and one of its most representative works. The painting has been interpreted as an emblem of self-reflection or contemplation of life's path, and the landscape is considered to evoke thesublime. Friedrich was a common user ofRückenfigur (German: Rear-facing figure) in his paintings;Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is perhaps the most famous Rückenfigur in art due to the subject's prominence. The painting has also been interpreted as an expression of Friedrich's German liberal and nationalist feeling.
While Friedrich was respected in German and Russian circles,Wanderer above the Sea of Fog and Friedrich's work in general were not immediately regarded as masterpieces. Friedrich's reputation improved in the early 20th century, and in particular during the 1970s;Wanderer became particularly popular, appearing as an example of "popular art" as well as high culture on books and other works. The provenance of the artwork after its creation is unknown, but by 1939, it was on display in the gallery of Wilhelm August Luz in Berlin, and in 1970, it was acquired by theHamburger Kunsthalle inHamburg,Germany, where it has been displayed ever since.
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 theElbe Sandstone Mountains inSaxony andBohemia, 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 theZirkelstein.[5] The mountain in the background to the left could be either theRosenberg or the Kaltenberg. The group of rocks in front of it represent the Gamrig nearRathen. The rocks on which the traveller stands are a group on theKaiserkrone.[6]
The date of creation ofWanderer is generally given as 1818, although some sources indicate 1817. The provenance of the painting in the 19th century is unclear, but it came to the ownership of the gallery of Wilhelm August Luz in Berlin in 1939. It was then apparently sold toErnst Henke, a German lawyer, before returning to the Luz gallery. The painting bounced between private collections before being acquired by theHamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg Art Hall) in 1970, where it has been on display since.[7]
Notable events in Friedrich's life in 1817 and 1818 include him striking up a friendship with the scientistCarl Gustav Carus and the Norwegian painterJohan Christian Dahl in 1817, Friedrich marrying Caroline Brommer in January 1818, and the couple going on a honeymoon back to Friedrich's hometown ofGreifswald for weeks after.[8]
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is closely associated withRomanticism, a broad artistic and literary movement that emerged after theAge of Enlightenment.[9] 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,[10] and for this reason the painting has been interpreted as an emblem of self-reflection or contemplation of life's path.[4][3] The landscape ofWanderer is considered to evoke thesublime, of greater mysteries and potential beyond the typical. 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."[11] On mist, he wrote "When a region cloaks itself in mist, it appears larger and more sublime, elevating the imagination, and rousing the expectations like a veiled girl."[12]
Differences still exist between Friedrich and other Romanticists.Werner Hofmann wrote thatWanderer was more open-ended and questioning than typical Romantic works. He compares Friedrich's searchingWanderer who does not know the future with Delacroix'sLiberty Leading the People, which is more certain about the course of action required, perhaps related to the differences in German and French nationalism of the era.[13]
Friedrich criticized other artists of his day[b] as painting overfilled "curiosity shops" that covered every part of the canvas with new features.[14] WhileWanderer is detailed, it does not lose focus by including an array of geographic features, other people, or buildings; the work stays centered on the mountains and the mist, and lets the viewer's eye explore it at its own pace.
Traditional art standards hold that if people are present in a scene, they are turned toward the viewer or in profile. Exceptions exist but are generally for minor characters in a crowded scene. While Friedrich was not the first artist to use aRückenfigur, he used such figures turned away from the viewer considerably more frequently and persistently than other artists.[15] Friedrich's use of theRückenfigur was generally considered to invite viewers "inside" the painting and encourage the viewer to consider the perspective from the depicted mysterious person whose face cannot be seen.Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is perhaps the most famousRückenfigur in art due to the subject's prominence.[15] The figure changes the sense and focus of the painting.Helmut Börsch-Supan [de] wrote that "It is harder to imagine this landscape without a figure than it is in any other painting."[16]
Other works of Friedrich's comparable toWanderer with such aRückenfigur motif includeWoman at a Window,Two Men by the Sea at Moonrise, andNeubrandenburg.[5]
Wieland Schmied argues thatWanderer was a precursor to thesurrealism ofRené Magritte; Friedrich included subtle incongruities in his work and seemingly impossible perspectives, as seen inWanderer, and Magritte took such elements even further in his work.[17] The background of the picture seemingly plunges into the foreground, with the depth between them unclear.[18]
Friedrich was an outspoken supporter of German liberal and nationalist feeling. The old German princely states were disrupted and saw their authority compromised in the wake of theNapoleonic Wars of 1803–1815.German nationalists advocated theUnification of Germany and the abolition of the conservativeGerman nobility and leadership of theGerman Confederation. One of the ways German liberals identified themselves and showed their support was by a fashion trend:Altdeutsche ("Old German") outfits, a restoration of an imagined heroic unified German past of the 1500s–1600s and the age ofMartin Luther.[c] Nationalists such as Friedrich thus identified themselves with restoring a lost national greatness. The art historian Norbert Wolf, following Koerner and others, has stated that the figure inWanderer above the Sea of Fog wears just such anAltdeutsches outfit, a political statement in the era when the painting was created.[19] Other scholars have described the figure's clothing as aJäger infantry uniform.[15] Markus Bertsch wrote that the figure's dress only identifies him as an "urbanite".[20]
A matter less clear is how Friedrich's Lutheranism affectedWanderer, if at all. Friedrich's religious side is seen in other paintings of his, such as the 1810 paintingCross in the Mountains, which fit a humble sort of Christianity that found beauty in nature. This corresponds with Luther's writing that all the great cathedrals and pompous buildings of the Catholic Church of his era could be torn down with little loss. To Friedrich's interpretation of Lutheranism, true religion was found in nature, simplicity, and individual people, all elements ofWanderer.[21] Another potential link was how Friedrich met and befriended the scientist and fellow painterCarl Gustav Carus in 1817 just before he would have been preparing and paintingWanderer. Art historianJoseph Koerner notes that Carus wrote on a particular verse in theLuther Bible: Luther translated the account ofGod's creation of Earth in theBook of Genesis 2:6 asAber ein Nebel ging auf von der Erde und feuchtete alles Land (English: A fog arose from the Earth and moistened the entire land).[22] Carus argued the fog was God's assistant in the Creation, turning barren mountains into verdant forests. Koerner hypothesizes that Carus and Friedrich could have discussed the matter in the course of their friendship. He sees thatWanderer could well be depicting a Creation-esque scene: the figure views a land of unknown possibility, hidden in the mist.[15]
Robert Macfarlane argues the painting had 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". He admires its power in representing the concept that standing on mountain tops is something to be admired, an idea which barely existed in earlier centuries.[23]
While Friedrich was respected in German and Russian circles,Wanderer above the Sea of Fog and Friedrich's work in general were not immediately regarded as masterpieces. His fame waned as he grew older; he wrote that the art judges of his day did not appreciate winter landscapes and mist enough.[12] Friedrich's reputation improved in the mid-20th century. Art historians includingKenneth Clark andMarcel Brion praised Friedrich's work and placed him highly in the tradition of painters of nature such asThomas Cole.[20]Wanderer became particularly popular: used as an inspiration for a variety of works since, and not merely known among art scholars.Wanderer has appeared on the cover of numerous books, T-shirts, CDs, coffee mugs, and so on, becoming a staple of "popular art" as well as high culture.[21] The painting grew even more ubiquitous with the rise ofsocial media.[20]Werner Hofmann hypothesizes that the subject looking upon a canvas of open possibility, ready to make a choice and find what awaits him, appeals to modern viewers.[21]
Media related toWanderer über dem Nebelmeer (Caspar David Friedrich) at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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