Cross in the Mountains
Art History
Cross in the Mountains
Caspar David Friedrich - 1774 - 1840
Caspar David Friedrich was a melancholic, sensitive and devout 19th century German artist of the Romantic style. Friedrich was born into a strict Lutheran family in Greifswald, Pomerania, on the Baltic coast of Germany and experienced tragedy at a very early age. Friedrich was the sixth child from a family of 10 children and by the time he turned 13, he had lost his mother, a sister, and saw one of his younger brother drown. These experiences had an impact on Friedrich having a spiritual attachment to nature. Friedrich’s art focused mostly on his spiritual love of nature and was inspired by the forest, the effect of light (especially sunrise, dusk, and moonlight) and the four seasons. In 1818, at the age of 44, Friedrich married Caroline Bommer which brought him happiness and comfort. However, he also suffered from depression that had an impact on his painting. By 1826 his paintings became darker and more muted. Friedrich fell into poverty and the attraction of Romanticism faded and began to lose its appeal. During the final 15 years of his life, his backers deserted him and he became dependent on the charity of friends. In the 1835, he had a stroke which impeded his ability to paint. Friedrich had several more strokes and eventually died in relative poverty at the age of 65. Friedrich is seen as one of the greatest and most original viewed painters of the early 19th century and has a major influence on the development of Western landscape art.
Cross in the Mountains (The Tetschen Altar) The Cross in the Mountains was one of Friedrich 's earliest and most divisive paintings. Completed in 1807, the painting was supposed to function as a center piece for an altar. The cross is depicted as being an unimportant element in the painting. The focus is on the glows of ray that are not aiming at the cross. The mountain symbolizes faith and the trees
Cross in the Mountains
Caspar David Friedrich - 1774 - 1840
Caspar David Friedrich was a melancholic, sensitive and devout 19th century German artist of the Romantic style. Friedrich was born into a strict Lutheran family in Greifswald, Pomerania, on the Baltic coast of Germany and experienced tragedy at a very early age. Friedrich was the sixth child from a family of 10 children and by the time he turned 13, he had lost his mother, a sister, and saw one of his younger brother drown. These experiences had an impact on Friedrich having a spiritual attachment to nature. Friedrich’s art focused mostly on his spiritual love of nature and was inspired by the forest, the effect of light (especially sunrise, dusk, and moonlight) and the four seasons. In 1818, at the age of 44, Friedrich married Caroline Bommer which brought him happiness and comfort. However, he also suffered from depression that had an impact on his painting. By 1826 his paintings became darker and more muted. Friedrich fell into poverty and the attraction of Romanticism faded and began to lose its appeal. During the final 15 years of his life, his backers deserted him and he became dependent on the charity of friends. In the 1835, he had a stroke which impeded his ability to paint. Friedrich had several more strokes and eventually died in relative poverty at the age of 65. Friedrich is seen as one of the greatest and most original viewed painters of the early 19th century and has a major influence on the development of Western landscape art.
Cross in the Mountains (The Tetschen Altar) The Cross in the Mountains was one of Friedrich 's earliest and most divisive paintings. Completed in 1807, the painting was supposed to function as a center piece for an altar. The cross is depicted as being an unimportant element in the painting. The focus is on the glows of ray that are not aiming at the cross. The mountain symbolizes faith and the trees
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