Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
| Wanderer above the Sea of Fog | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Caspar David Friedrich |
| Year | 1818 |
| Type | Oil-on-canvas |
| Location | Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany |
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (German: Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer; also known as Wanderer Above the Mist) is an oil painting composed in 1818 by the German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich. It currently resides in the Kunsthalle Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany.
Description
In the foreground, a young man stands upon a rocky precipice, his back to the viewer. He is wrapped in a dark green overcoat, and grips a walking stick in his right hand.[1] His hair caught in a wind, the wanderer gazes out on a garish 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.[2] Through the wreaths of fog, forests of trees can be perceived atop these escarpments. In the far distance, faded mountains rise in the west, gently leveling off into lowland plains in the east. Beyond here, the pervading fog stretches out indefinitely, eventually commingling with the horizon and becoming indistinguishable from the cloud-filled sky.[1]
The painting is composed of various elements from the mountains of the Elbsandsteingebirge 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. 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.[3]
Commentary
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is true to the Romantic style and Friedrich's style in particular,[4] being similar to other works such as Chalk Cliffs on Rügen and The Sea of Ice. Gorra's (2004) analysis was that the message conveyed by the painting is one of Kantian self-reflection, expressed through the wanderer's gazings into the murkiness of the sea of fog.[2] Dembo (2001) sympathised, asserting that Wanderer presents a metaphor for the unknown future.[5] Gaddis (2004) felt that the impression the wanderer's position atop the precipice and before the twisted outlook leaves "is contradictory, suggesting at once mastery over a landscape and the insignificance of the individual within it."[1]
Some meaning of this work is lost in the translation of its title. In German, the title is "Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer." There are several things to note about this German title. First of all, Wanderer exists as both the word for "wanderer" and for the word "hiker." The character can thus be seen as lost and trying to find purpose, or as a resolute journeyman. The second subtlety is that the word "Nebelmeer" in German translates directly into "Fogsea." The audience though has the discrimination to interpret it as "the sea which is composed of fog," or "the Fog Sea." The first of these leads to a more abstract and philosophical view that complements the "wanderer" translation of the first word. The second is more concrete and challenging, complementing the view of the determined hiker.
References
- ^ a b c Gaddis, John Lewis (2004). The Landscape of History. Oxford University Press US. pp. 1–2. ISBN 0195171578.
- ^ a b Gorra, Michael Edward (2004). The Bells in Their Silence. Princeton University Press. pp. xi–xii. ISBN 0691117659.
- ^ K.-L. Hoch: Caspar David Friedrich und die böhmischen Berge. Dresden 1987 ENZOW you know it nigga get low to the flow and give me sum mo
- ^ Gunderson, Jessica (2008). Romanticism. The Creative Company. p. 7. ISBN 1583416137.
- ^ Dembo, Ron S. (2001). The Rules of Risk. John Wiley and Sons. p. 10. ISBN 0471401633.
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External links
- "Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer Above the Mist". Retrieved 7 August 2007.
- Sketches for the painting Template:De icon