The art was created by Casper David Friedrich who was born in Greifswald, Swedish Pomerania (now northeastern Germany). The artwork was created in 1818 and is now located in the collection of Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. This was created to make political statements to Germany’s new ruling government (Nazis), often coded in subtle a way, during the time this was painted the type of clothing the man is wearing was forbidden and it depicts his stand against the current government.
In the art we can see a man on top of a mountain overlooking a cloudy landscape. The man is seen wearing a dark green overcoat and boots steadying himself with a cane. There is a noticeable contrast shown through the combination of light and dark shades. The eye is drawn to the figure and the cliff below it, since they are painted darker than there surrounding. The man or we can say wanderer symbolizes how people naturally seek adventure. The view shows us the endless journey people go.
The art shows the vastness of nature that shows not a calm and relaxing scene but how absolute natural forces can achieve. The artist used oil on canvas as his medium. The mixes of the blues and pink color across the sky are resonated with the light coming from deep inside the ridges making the fog shine, the image of the man and the mountain are intrinsically modeled. The artwork captures the bareness and serenity through different stylistic elements. It shows how a lot of feelings were evoked during the making of this piece.
References
- So, O. (2015, January 28). CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF A PAINTING. Retrieved from https://olivia8566a.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/critical-analysis-of-a-painting/
