Modern art historians (such as Christopher John Murray) agree with this interpretation. Speaking of his art, Friedrich said an artist should paint “what he sees inside himself.” For Friedrich, this was of equal importance to figurative representation. Akin to Socrates’ famous maxim “know thyself,” critics praise the painting for its intense contemplative nature. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is particularly representative, however, seen as an icon of philosophical and existential self-reflection. Evidenced throughout practically all of Caspar David Friedrich's artworks, these ideas fundamentally inspired the artist. Subjectivity and individuality were the watchwords of the Romantics. Their work also firmly rejected the previous Neoclassicism art rules of strict compositional harmony and balance. In an age of rapidly expanding cities, production lines, and gray factories, the Romantics were revolutionary in their rejection of capitalist logic. It was partly a reaction to the emergence of the Industrial Revolution and followed the Age of Enlightenment. Romantic landscape painting mainly explored man’s relationship with nature and our ongoing conflict with the natural world (and ourselves). The mountains in the background are either the Kaltenberg or the Rosenberg peaks, although debates rage about their exact geographic identity. It is this particular geography that explains the intensely foggy scene. Along with the Zirkelstein, this table hill rises from the low-lying Schöna valley. Identifiable features include the Zirkelstein (a striking 40-meter sandstone table hill in Saxony) and the heavily weathered Kaiserkrone on which the man stands. Only once he was happy with the overall composition did he begin to paint. Friedrich often sketched “en plein air” but then rearranged his drawings in the studio. Scholars identify geology from the Elbe Sandstone Mountains stretching across Saxony and Bohemia. Indeed, Caspar David Friedrich’s ostensibly “realistic” scene is an amalgamation of components. Romantic paintings prioritize exploring emotional responses over direct representation. Today, Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog exemplifies the Romantic movement. A Masterpiece of Romantic Landscape Painting His stance suggests confidence and physicality, yet there’s an indisputable melancholy to the piece. He wears a dark jewel-green coat to protect against the mountain wind. His emotions and facial expressions remain something purely created by our imagination. The man’s position (with his back to the viewer) adds to the mystery of the painting. The fog-covered landscape drifts off indefinitely away from the viewer, eventually indistinguishable from the horizon.

Vague mountains and rolling hills are visible in the background, while trees and rocky outcrops emerge from the middle distance. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog presents a fashionable gentleman, cane in hand, standing and gazing into a misty valley. Why is Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog Mysterious? TurnerĪs one of the most famous German painters, Caspar David Friedrich paintings depict allegorical landscapes and motionless contemplative figures. Other famous artists of the Romantic period include Francisco Goya and J.M.W. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David FriedrichĬasper David Friedrich Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog 1818 is a masterpiece of the Romanticism Art Movement.

Wanderer over a sea of fog