This gives an impression of islands in the sea. Rugged ridges can be seen protruding from the invisible landscapes beneath the fog similar to the one the wanderer stands on himself. His red hair is disheveled by the wind, while he looks down on the dense, almost opaque blanket of fog that covers the landscape before him.Īt the horizon, the all-pervading fog seems to stretch out infinitely as it mixes seamlessly with the cloudy sky. The figure is dressed in a deep green knee-length coat and is holding a walking stick in his right hand with a relaxed left hand in his pocket. In the painting, the silhouette of a male figure or ‘the wanderer’ stands on rocky terrain with his back to us, as he surveys the world from above. Finally, the image of the wanderer can be likened to Victor’s journey to the Alps. In Frankenstein, Victor also seeks comfort in the beauty of nature. The soft brush strokes bring in a calm and serene touch to the painting. The comfort in the painting comes from the soft color palette of pastel blues and pinks in the sky with a hint of yellow. Similarly in Shelley’s novel, a similar uneasiness can be sensed when Victor first lays his eyes on the creature, and his heart is filled with disgust and horror. In the painting, the theme of sublime can be felt through the ruggedness of the terrain, the idea of being at a height where a slip can be fatal, and uncertainty in the lack of visibility through the fog. Both works bring a sense of horror and comfort simultaneously. The painting and the novel are often connected based on their common central theme of Sublime. Frankenstein and The Wandererįrankenstein is a horror fiction novel with a Gothic tone written by Mary Shelley in the same year in which the Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog was executed, that is, 1818. The painting is presently at the Kunsthalle Art Museum in Hamburg, Germany. The painting is not on sale presently but was valued at approximately $2.75 million at a 2018 auction in Missouri. This work is one of the best examples of German Romanticism. The wanderer above the sea of Fog, also known as Wanderer Above the Mist or Mountaineer in a Misty Landscape, is an iconic piece of romanticism completed in the year 1818. According to Burke, “Whatever is in any way awful, is acquainted with dreadful objects, or acts in a manner comparable to horror, is a wellspring of the Sublime.” When and Where, and Price The theory of Sublime art as put forward by Edmund Burke in 1757 established the idea as an aesthetic impact that produces the most powerful sensation humans are capable of experiencing. Sublime became one of the core ideas of German Romanticism based on vast allusive landscapes focusing on the more negative emotions felt by humans such as helplessness against the world and nature. In his later paintings, such as ‘The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog’, Friedrich used oil on canvas. His earliest art pieces were in sepia, characterized by a distinct brown colored medium with a slight tinge of purple. If, however, he sees nothing within him, then he should also omit to paint that which he sees before him.” What’s the Painting Made onįriedrich was a student of one of the most progressive art schools of his time, the Copenhagen Academy in Denmark. According to Casper David Friedrich, “The artist should not only paint what he sees before him but also what he sees within him. Romantic artists strongly believed that reality can only be understood through the unique subjective experiences of every individual. German romanticism emphasized not only hidden beauty but also wit and humor. He is well known for his detailed depictions of expansive landscapes which calls for subjective interpretations from the viewers. He often represented allegorical narratives in his work wherein different elements have deep symbolic meaning. Caspar David Friedrich was a pioneering German Romanticist painter in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These artists look beyond the confinements of the objective world and convey it extraordinarily. The Romanticists observe the world through their heightened sensitivity.
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