Neoclassism, Romanticism, and Rococo

Caspar David Friedrich

Caspar David Friedrich was a German atmospheric landscape and seascape Painter during the romanticism period.  He studied at the very renowned Copenhagen Academy from 1794 to 1798 and learned from many different painters including Philipp Otto Runge.  His paintings were moving away from religious symbolic meaning of the past to symbolic landscapes.  He had a mature style with close attention to detail, yet he also incorporated a kind of mystical ominous feel to the beautiful nature scenes he would paint.  His first oil painting “The Cross in the Mountains” was the first to establish this new style he was developing.  He went on to become a professor at the Royal Dresden Art Academy.  He later suffered from a stroke in 1837 which left him paralyzed, causing his reputation to decline significantly by the time of his death.  His work was revived in the 20th century and his legacy became a lot more profound by the 21’st century.  I enjoy Friedrichs art as he painted landscapes beautifully, but I appreciate his work even further for the matter that the style he painted his landscapes in gave the scenery life and their own whimsical persona.

Works Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Caspar David Friedrich.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1 Sept. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Caspar-David-Friedrich.