Caspar David Friedrich: 10 Iconic Paintings of Romanticism

Key facts

• Caspar David Friedrich was a key member of Romanticism and changed landscape painting with his emotional focus on nature.
• The Cross in the Mountains (1808) was one of Friedrich's earliest and most controversial paintings, designed as an altarpiece and the first Christian altarpiece to present only a pure landscape.
• The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (1817-1818) is a metaphor for the unknown future and is considered a monument to human individuality.
• Chalk Cliffs on Rugen (1818-19) was painted during Friedrich's honeymoon; the woman in red is likely his bride Caroline, and the man in old German costume represents liberal nationalists.
• Monk by the Sea (1808-1810) is Friedrich's most radical composition, abandoning traditional depth to emphasize the monk's smallness before nature and God.
• A Walk at Dusk (1830-1835) was completed before Friedrich suffered a debilitating stroke in 1835, reflecting his melancholy and Christian consolation.
• Two Men Contemplating the Moon (ca. 1825-30) is the third version of a famous composition; the figures are identified as Friedrich and his friend August Heinrich.
• Friedrich's works are held in major collections including the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Alte Nationalgalerie, National Gallery London, J. Paul Getty Museum, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.