The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is a painting by a German Romantic artist named Caspar David Friedrich in 1818, in which the artist depicts himself perched atop a rocky outcropping of a mountain, looking down on the mountainous landscape that is covered by thick fog (Wanderer - My daily art display). In the piece, the figure of the young man is seen from behind, so as to invite the viewer to look down at the world through the eyes of Friedrich’s own perception. The painting also brings to mind the smallness of the individual as it compares to the mysteries and vastness of the natural world (Wanderer - Caspar David Friedrich). As the viewer gazes upon the landscape in the background, ideas of the ‘unknown’ are brought to mind. Furthermore, the painting is symbolic of the power of nature, and how it is untamed and divine. Friedrich’s work can be found on the cover of the Dover Thrift edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein because in the story, Dr. Frankenstein ‘plays God’ by creating life, but when things go horribly awry it becomes apparent that nature is divine and cannot be tamed or mastered, despite scientific beliefs. That is what is being depicted here, as the wanderer, or ‘Der Wanderer’ in German, looks out on such a gargantuan landscape (Wanderer - Wiki).

This famous piece was done during the Romantic era of art, an artistic and intellectual period that started during the mid 18^th century in Europe (Wanderer - Wiki). This era was a time when artists focused heavily on the aesthetic experience of nature and emotion, as well as self-expression, rather than a scientific explanation of nature and the human form. This piece goes hand-in-hand with the term romanticism and is one of the most well known pieces of the Romantic era (Romanticism). This painting, as well as others from the same era, would go on to influence other artistic movements and the styles of other painters. As previously stated, this work depicts a man overlooking a vast, untamed nature scene. Furthermore, Friedrich paints a wide, seemingly limitless landscape that appears mysterious in its grandeur. Just like in Starry Night Over the Rhône, the immense sky brings to mind the insignificance of the individual compared to the rest of the natural world. 

Starry Night Over the Rhône

The second painting in the collection is Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhône, a piece that was done at the same time as Van Gogh’s arguably most famous piece, Starry Night. The formerly stated painting depicts a wide view of the riverbank of the Rhône and the night sky above the water. Van Gogh illustrates an organic blend of urban life and natural landscapes, as he continues his passion for depicting nocturnal light (Starry Night). In the piece Van Gogh uses perspective and thick, visible brush strokes to extend the water and riverbank, as well as making the night sky appear endless in the distance. At the foreground of the piece, an elderly couple stands together on the shore, appearing miniscule compared to the extensive lake and surrounding landscape. Despite the clear use of very thick brush strokes in his work, Van Gogh captures the essence of the water beautifully, both with the reflections on the water and the surface disturbance in the bottom corner. One big reason that this piece was chosen for this collection is because Van Gogh depicts the urbanized riverbanks as a mere ‘afterthought’ in comparison to the natural scene, clearly being more of the focus of the piece. The houses and buildings are faintly placed on the edges of the landscape, appearing as an insignificant presence compared to the powerful natural presence of the river and sky. Thus, these artistic elements hint that nature is untamed and powerful, as well as mysterious and seemingly boundless.

In 1888 when this painting was done, art was nearing the end of the impressionist movement, which was originally in response to the Realism movement. Commonly classified as a post-Impressionist, Van Gogh fit that classification through his use of vivid colors, thick application of paint, and thick, distinctive brush strokes. Like many other Impressionists and post-Impressionists, Van Gogh depicted real-life subject matter, but unlike the Realists who focused on making everything appear perfectly life-like, he painted a subjective representation of the setting (Post-Impressionism). Although Van Gogh fits much of the criteria for post-Impressionism, he skewed from that path in ways that would influence 20^th century art to come.

The Abbey in the Oakwood

The next piece is titled The Abbey in the Oakwood, or Abtei im Eichwald in German, and is another work by Caspar David Friedrich, painted from 1809-1810. This painting portrays a procession of monks heading towards the gate of the ruins of a Gothic church, located in the center of the painting (Abbey). Friedrich uses shadow to depict a mysterious scene, as one sees dark figures walking in procession towards the ruins of a church. The trees in the scene are a key element of what makes this painting fit the theme of this collection; compared to the hooded figures and ruined church, the trees are gargantuan and wild. Although the church ruins are centered in the painting, the surrounding trees and sky dominate the image, so much so that they act to outline the presence of the seemingly out-of-place church. The overwhelming presence of the trees and their chaotic branches make nature appear to be the more powerful presence, as they seem to have grown through where the church used to stand. Furthermore, the chaotic way in which the branches are painted symbolizes how nature is so untamed and wild, and the way in which Friedrich uses shadow in his landscape makes the image ominous and, because of this and other stylistic elements, the painting appears mysterious and boundless (Abbey).

Just like with The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich painted The Abbey in the Oakwood during the Romantic era of art. This piece, based upon studies of the ruins of Eldena Abbey, was painted in a studio but was based off of “en plein air” sketches, meaning sketches done out in nature (Abbey). Just as was discussed previously, the Romantic era was a time of unique artistic expression, when artists focused on the aesthetics and emotion of paintings, as well as self-expression, rather than explaining every detail of nature and the human form scientifically (Romanticism). Friedrich clearly fits that style in The Abbey in the Oakwood, as one examines different elements of the piece.

Field for the British Isles

The fourth piece is a sculpture entitled Field for the British Isles, by Antony Gormley. This piece was done in 1993 and consists of around 40,000 individual terracotta figures set up on the floor of a room facing the viewer. Gormley sculpted these figures with the help of volunteers and their extended families; each volunteer was given a portion of the 30 tons of clay total that were required to create this piece (Antony Gormley: Field). Field is significant in that it represents a populous of unique figures, all done by a variety of people. It could represent the population of any given country, as it is made up of individuals made by volunteers with all different backgrounds and upbringings. Although it is slightly different from the aforementioned paintings, it displays a similar theme in the sense that, amidst such a huge mass of people, complete knowledge is unreachable. In addition, such immensity symbolizes the extent of the natural world and the fact that it is immeasurable. Although this piece is less mysterious in itself than some of the other works in the collection, there is still a minor element of mystery in that, within such a large populous of human-like figures, a viewer cannot know everything about each figure; this includes what volunteer constructed the figure, what the figure itself looks like, or what inspired each volunteer when making each unique piece.

This piece was created recently, in 1993 (an era of no specific artistic movement), in an attempt to “materialize the place at the other side of appearance where we all live.” This has been the focus of many of Gormley’s works, with a cast of his own body having been used as a basis for metal and clay sculptures (Antony Gormley - Wiki). Field for the British Isles is similar to other paintings in the collection, such as The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, in that it depicts nature as untamed and immense, although in this piece ‘nature’ is represented by a mass of figures, rather than a landscape of a scene in nature.

Nocturne

The final piece is an etching by James McNeill Whistler, entitled Nocturne, which was done from 1879-1880 that depicts a wide-angle view of the coast with a boat departing out to sea (Important Prints). When examined closely it can be seen that the image is literally ‘scratched’ into the surface, but despite this seemingly crude technique, Whistler captures detail and shadow beautifully. Through the use of the scratched lines and minor shading, the landscape is represented in both an eerie and aesthetically pleasing way. Furthermore, Whistler depicts undefined shapes of ports and buildings along the horizon in a simplistic way, with the intent being to have the viewer’s own perception fill in the details. The ship on the left side of the piece and the building on the right balance each other, creating a serine and harmonious landscape. On a deeper level, the ship coming out to sea brings a certain mystery to the piece, and the shaded sky on the top and ocean on the bottom leave room for interpretation as far as the extended depth of the piece; this hints to the piece’s vastness. These elements give nature a large, powerful presence in the work, and hint to the natural extent of the ocean and sky.

James McNeill Whistler is sometimes referred to as a Post-Impressionist, but he is also the founder of Tonalism and was one of the central figures in the Aesthetic Movement. Whistler was a proponent of the credo, “art for art’s sake”, and in many of his works he strove to express the harmony and beauty of music through visual means. Whistler has been compared to Rembrandt as one of the greatest etchers in history, and this piece specifically influenced later etchers and dry-point artists and their artistic styles (James Whistler - Wiki). This work is like Field for the British Isles in that the foreground is clear, such as the boat heading the direction of the viewer and the sculpted figures in the front, but as one looks further back the shapes become less defined and distinct, creating a unique sense of depth and mystery. The simplicity of Whistler’s Nocturne is an element that makes this piece so beautiful, as it also depicts the sky and ocean as two indistinct, yet powerful presences.