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.