Caspar David Friedrich. Master of the tragic landscape (5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) E-Book

Victoria Charles

• Herausgeber: Parkstone International
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 136

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), a prominent German painter of the 19th century, was a vital figure in the Romantic movement. His artwork is characterised by its poetic and melancholic essence, displaying a profound sense of spirituality and transcendence. In his paintings, he masterfully blended external nature depictions with deep inner symbolism. His often desolate landscapes and grand architecture evoke a yearning for peace, solitude, and spiritual elevation. The skilful utilisation of light and shadow in his composition amplifies the emotional resonance of Friedrich's art, imbuing it with an almost mystical quality. The artistic legacy of Caspar David Friedrich continues to influence contemporary landscape painting. His unparalleled aptitude for capturing the infinite within the finite renders his work a timeless representation of humanity's quest for transcendence and spiritual connection. This biography delves into the life and creations of this remarkable artist, celebrating his invaluable contributions to the evolution of Romantic painting.

Leseprobe

Victoria Charles

CASPAR DAVID

FRIEDRICH

Master of the Tragic Landscape

© 2024, Confidential Concepts, Worldwide, USA

© 2024, Parkstone Press USA, New York

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All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or adapted without the permission of the copyright holder, throughout the world.

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ISBN: 978-1-63919-775-0

Contents

Introduction

The Zeitgeist of Caspar David Friedrich’s Era

The Emergence of a Revolutionary Art

The Controversy and the Critique

The Flourishing of Romanticism in Dresden

Tracing Caspar David Friedrich’s Early Life and Formative Experience

The Artist

Contemporary testimonies about Caspar David Friedrich

Exchange of letters

Aphorism

Index

Notes

The Painter Caspar David Friedrich, painted by Gerhard von Kügelen, c. 1808. Oil on canvas, 53.3 x 41.5 cm. Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany.

Introduction

“The divine is everywhere, even in the grain of sand.”

Caspar David Friedrich

Vibrant youth, a generous dedication to art, and passionate intensity characterise the Romantic era. This period, marked by both enthusiasm and exaggeration, is rich in ideas, people, and works.

The core principles of Romanticism were first articulated in Germany at the close of the 18th century. During the 1770s, the ‘Sturm und Drang’ movement had already challenged ‘Enlightenment’ society and its values. Prominent figures like Friedrich von Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe supported the celebration of nature and individualism, as advocated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau[1]in the mid-18th century. Despite their rebellious stance, the ‘Sturm und Drang’ movement did not completely abandon classical ideals, still valuing the harmony and perfection derived from antiquity.

Intellectuals associated with the ‘Athenaeum’[2]journal, such as members of the Jena Circle like Novalis and Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, rejected classicism[3]entirely. They preferred mysticism, the irrational, and the infinite over outdated values.

In visual arts, this was reflected in two key trends: the ‘representation of the sublime’ and the ‘mysticism of the landscape,’ especially evident in Caspar David Friedrich’s work.

Romanticism embodies a profound sense of the infinity of space. The Romantic artist no longer perceives themselves as separate from nature, which is seen as chaotic rather than orderly, but as an integral part of it. Man is seen as a small, fragile being amidst incomprehensible forces, but by contemplating nature with feeling, he becomes one with it. Nature mourns, rejoices, and reflects the human soul.

The essential traits of Romanticism—individualism, irrationality, the mystical union of subject and object, mixing artistic means, longing for the exotic and distant, a deep sense of the infinite, and the continuity of historical development—define the national and cultural identity of German-speaking peoples. These traits are so closely intertwined that they often seem incomprehensible to those from other cultures. Notably, Romanticism in France and Italy shares only the name with German Romanticism.

The coexistence of classicism and Romanticism represented a competition for cultural dominance in Europe and the world, ultimately won by Romanticism. If Classicism is seen as the twilight of Greco-Roman antiquity, Romanticism is the dawn of a new era. Although Romanticism as a historical phenomenon was brief, its impact on modern culture is profound. No branch of science or art remains untouched by Romanticism, influencing philosophy, history, natural sciences, fine arts, literature and music, shaping their development to this day.

Chalk Cliffs at Ruegen, c. 1818. Oil on canvas, 21.4 x 27.1 cm. Kunst Museum Winterthur | Reinhart am Stadtgarten, Switzerland.

The Tetschen Altar, or The Cross in the Mountains, c.1807. Oil on canvas, 115 x 110.5 cm. Galerie Neue Meister, Dresden, Germany.

The Zeitgeist of Caspar David Friedrich’s Era

The Emergence of a Revolutionary Art

In the Christmas season of 1808, a select circle of art lovers in Dresden experienced a special surprise. They made a pilgrimage to the modest flat of the enigmatic painter Caspar David Friedrich, where a new altarpiece was on display. In the artist’s small, white-walled room, a window had been covered to dim the bright light and create an enchanting twilight. In this carefully crafted ambience, the painting stood on a table draped in a black cloth, framed in intricately carved gold that caused a sensation. This oil painting, destined for the chapel of Tetschen Castle[4]in Bohemia, exuded a unique sense of devotion and atmosphere.

Friedrich’s friend, the sculptor Kühn,[5]had crafted the frame based on the artist’s design, incorporating Christian symbols that underscored the painting’s sacred purpose. The previous year, Friedrich had presented an unfinished sepia drawing at the exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts. This work, featuring a solitary cross on a mountaintop surrounded by clouds, garnered both acclaim and criticism. Among the admirers was the young Countess Thun, who requested a similar piece for her castle’s new chapel. After some hesitation, Friedrich agreed to create the altarpiece, ensuring it would fit perfectly within the chapel’s space.

At the urgent request of his friends, Friedrich had exhibited this groundbreaking work in his studio. The excitement the work aroused was understandable, for it broke with all conventional traditions and ideas by combining a landscape painting with an altar. Nevertheless, the painting was admired by many for its inspirational effect, even though art connoisseurs recognised that Frederich had not yet reached the peak of his technical skills, having only recently transitioned from sepia to oil painting.

Greifswald in Moonlight, 1817. Oil on canvas, 30.5 x 22.5 cm. The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway.

The Controversy and the Critique

The painting’s exhibition stirred significant excitement but also provoked a vehement critique from the chamberlain von Ramdohr in the “Zeitschrift für die Elegante Welt[6]”. His attack seemed to target not only Friedrich’s altarpiece but the very essence of Romanticism and its proponents—painters, poets, and thinkers who had taken Dresden by storm. This cultural clash pitted the emerging Romanticists against the established classicists.

Amidst this artistic feud, painters like Hartmann and von Kügelgen[7]defended Friedrich, while others, such as the savvy library secretary Semler, attempted to mediate.

What stood out was Friedrich’s role as a leader in the Romantic landscape movement, which had taken root in Dresden, a city known for its vibrant art scene. The North German school of Romanticism had prevailed over the Franconian and Saxon classicists.

Oak Tree in the Snow, Caspar David Friedrich, 1829. Oil on canvas, 71 x 48 cm. Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany.

Mountain Landscape with Rainbow, 1809-1810. Oil on canvas, 70 x 102 cm. Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany.

Rocky Landscape in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, c. 1822. Oil on canvas, 94 x 74 cm. Belvedere, Wien, Österreich.

The Flourishing of Romanticism in Dresden

To understand Romantic landscape art’s significance, we must appreciate the era’s broader context. Dresden became a hub of artistic innovation, attracting talents from across Europe. Under Napoleon’s patronage, the city emerged as a haven for artists, fostering a community that thrived on intellectual and creative exchange.

While Copenhagen initially attracted young artists from across Northern Europe, Dresden soon emerged as the vibrant heart of Nordic Romanticism. Brimming with artistry and a deep appreciation for the arts, Dresden, supported by Napoleon, became a haven for painters. They found not only a gallery and a community of artists but also a culture of enlightened international camaraderie and breathtaking natural beauty. Dresden thus became a nexus for artistic youth after the events in Jena and Berlin.

In Dresden, a diverse array of thinkers, poets, painters, musicians, and statesmen gathered in salons and galleries. This culturally astute audience supported the arts through exhibitions, theatres, and social gatherings, creating a fertile ground for new ideas. Notable figures like the philosopher Krause[8]and the poet Watzdorf[9]mingled with others, while Adam Müller delivered influential lectures on German science and art. Today, we have a clear grasp of the lineage and intellectual history of the monumental movement known as Romanticism. We understand its origins and driving forces.

Landscape with Oak Trees and a Hunter, 1811. Oil on canvas, 32 x 44.5 cm. Kunst Museum Winterthur, Reinhart am Stadtgarten, Winterthur, Germany. (Formerly Museum Oskar Reinhart).

Despite being near the theatre of war, Dresden was, as Gentz noted, “an island in a raging ocean,” maintaining open communication with Berlin and Vienna even during turbulent times. Thinkers, poets, painters, musicians, and politicians converged here, mingling in galleries and lively evening salons. A culturally astute audience supported exhibitions, theatres, balls, and tea parties, fostering a thriving artistic environment. It was here that the omniscient Böttiger led torch-lit tours of antiquity and delivered his enigmatic lectures, while philosopher Krause and poet Watzdorf engaged with fellow intellectuals.

In 1806, at the “Hôtel de Pologne,” the young philosopher, politician, and journalist Adam Müller from Berlin delivered groundbreaking lectures on German science and literature. In the winter of 1807/08, he explored the idea of beauty with the natural philosopher Schubert[10], who stayed with Friedrich’s friends, the Kügelgens. Supported by Academy Professor Hartmann, Müller published a literary journal with passionate allies like Heinrich von Kleist[11]and Adam Heinrich Müller[12], challenging Franconian-Swabian classicism.

Painter Otto Runge[13]from Pomerania found inspiration and appreciation for his allegorical and symbolic art through his friendship with Tieck[14]. Dresden was a cauldron of innovation, where new ideas and spirits thrived against all odds.

City at Moonrise, 1817. Oil on canvas, 45 x 33 cm. Collection Kunst Museum Winterthur.

Solitary Tree, 1822. Oil on canvas, 71 x 55 cm. Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

The Cemetery Entrance, c. 1825. Oil on canvas, 143 x 110 cm. Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden; Dresden, Germany.

This fertile ground allowed new landscape painting to flourish, guided by Runge’s revolutionary theories on form and colour. But what made Friedrich’s landscape altarpiece so groundbreaking? Basil von Ramdohr[15]identified a new religious mysticism but also critiqued its artistic deviations. Friedrich defied the traditional perspective, experimenting with bold cropping and unconventional colouring, which contradicted classical norms. This New German naturalism, with its attention to detail and Christian symbolism, clashed with the ideals of classical landscape art.

The search for a new language of form and colour allowed artists to transcend traditional typologies. Landscape painting could now symbolise Christian redemption through nature’s phenomena. This is evident in Runge’s commission by Quistorp in the winter of 1806/07 to paint an altar-themedPeteron the Seafor the Kosegarten chapel in Vitte, set in a full moon landscape near Rügen. This altar, like Konrad Witz’s[16]famous panel in the Geneva Museum, transforms the landscape into a symbolic representation of Christian doctrine. We will delve deeper into these themes in the context of Friedrich’s life.

Sea of Ice / Ship in the Polar Sea, c. 1723. Oil on canvas, 97 x 127 cm. Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany.

Tracing Caspar David Friedrich’s Early Life and Formative Experience

Caspar David Friedrich was born on 5 September 1774 in Greifswald on the Baltic Sea in what was then Swedish Pomerania. His father, Adolf Gottlieb Friedrich, was a candle maker and soap boiler and raised his son in the strict Lutheran, pietistic faith. Caspar David Friedrich grew up in his parents’ house at Lange Straße, which still exists today. The Friedrichs originally came from Silesia and were probably an old noble family of counts who emigrated in the 18th century because of their faith. However, the noble ancestry could not be proven with certainty. Caspar David Friedrich, like his friend Philipp Otto Runge, was a Pomeranian.

The merchant family was modestly wealthy and had many children. However, there are conflicting accounts of their financial situation. Some sources claim that the children attended a public school, while others report that they grew up in relative poverty. Caspar David Friedrich was the sixth of a total of ten children.

Caspar David was confronted with death in his youth, as his mother Sophie Dorothea Bechly died in 1781 when he was only seven years old. Later, he also lost some of his siblings to the frequent and often fatal disease tuberculosis, from which he himself suffered repeatedly. It is believed that Frederich contracted tuberculosis in his youth, but the exact time of the disease is not known. Friedrich finally died in 1835 as a result of this disease.

His experiences with tuberculosis and the early loss of his mother and siblings may have contributed to Friedrich often expressing a sombre, melancholy mood in his works.

Caspar David Friedrich had several brothers, whom he painted together in one of his works, a sepia-techniqueView of Greifswald’s Market Square.Friedrich was particularly close to his brother Christian, who worked as a cabinetmaker in Lyon and Paris, but this horrified the patriotic artist. Christian was obviously Caspar David’s favourite brother, who sent him drawings for woodcuts, plans for the Stralsund church, designs for furniture and the like.

Besides Christian, Caspar David Friedrich had other siblings, including brother Adolf, who was a soap boiler like his father, brother Heinrich, brother Johann, and a married sister in Brandenburg. A merchant named Praefke was also apparently a friend of the house and an old joker.

The Marketplace in Greifswald, 1818. Pen, watercolour and chalk drawing, 67 x 54.5 cm. Pomeranian State Museum, Greifswald, Germany.

In 1787, Caspar David Friedrich experienced a devastating loss when his beloved older brother Johann Christopher tragically passed away. Johann Christopher had come to Caspar David’s rescue after he collapsed while skating on the frozen Baltic Sea and sacrificed himself by drowning. This heroic act saved Caspar David from certain death, but it left a profound impact on the young artist, traumatising him for the remainder of his life. It is said that he even contemplated suicide due to the overwhelming grief and despair that consumed him. This tragic event likely reinforced his natural inclination towards melancholy and pessimism.

As a kind of escape reaction, Caspar David Friedrich later travelled to Dresden and then on to Copenhagen in 1794. There he attended the prestigious Royal Academy, which had been headed by Johann Gottfried Quistorp since 1788. The academic drawing room, which has existed since the 18th century, is considered the nucleus of today’s Caspar David Friedrich Institute. Caspar David, who later gave his name to this institution, studied here.

In Copenhagen, Caspar David Friedrich learned the fine, clear technique that would later become his trademark. He acquired a solid classical education and became acquainted with antiquity. During his stay in Copenhagen, he also visited his friend Philipp Otto Runge, with whom he had a lifelong friendship. Runge even helped Friedrich by buying from him two of his landscape views in sepia for 20 thalers each.

Living in Copenhagen gave the young painter access to the Royal Picture Gallery’s collection, where he looked at 17th-century Dutch landscapes. Friedrich’s teachers at the Academy included the painters Christian August Lorentzen[17]and Jens Juel[18]. These artists were influenced by the ‘Sturm und Drang’, a current between the dramatic intensity and expressive naturalism of the emerging Romantic aesthetic and the fading neoclassical ideal. Atmospheric was paramount and artists were influenced by sources such as the Icelandic Edda[19],the poems of Ossian[20]and Norse mythology.

Self-portrait, 1800. Chalk drawing, 4.20 x 27.6 cm. National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst), Copenhagen, Denmark.

Moonrise over the Sea, 1822. Oil on canvas, 55 x 71 cm. Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany.

Uttewalder Grund, a side valley of the Elbe valley, south of Lohmen in the Saxon Switzerland, c. 1825. 91.5 x 70.5 cm. Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, Austria.

Frederich received a solid education at the Copenhagen Academy, but painting was not taught there. Therefore, no oil painting by Friedrich is known before 1797.

Although little is known about Caspar David’s youth, there are indications that he was a very handsome, tall and blond young man who combined a sensitive and shy nature with a strong and straightforward character. Even in his younger years, he was overshadowed by melancholy and in search of transcendence. Nature in its mystical and spiritual dimension attracted him since his youth.

Caspar David grew up at a time when, throughout Europe, increasing disillusionment with materialistic society led to a new appreciation of spirituality. This development was often expressed in a re-evaluation of the world of nature, like artists such as J. M. W. Turner[21]and John Constable[22]