Human Nature in Friedrich’s “Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog”

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Table of Contents

Historical and Artistic Context
Cultural Values
Cultural Perspective and Final Reflection
References

There are numerous dimensions to existing and navigating this world, but none exist outside the context. This paper will focus on the painting by Caspar David Friedrich, “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog,” created circa 1818 with oil on canvas. The painting depicts a man on a cliff overhanging a stunning natural landscape, with his back to the viewer and his face turned toward the distant mountains. The ‘sea of fog’ before him is panted in gentle colors, making the darkness of the cliff and the standing figure pop against the serene scenery. The seemingly simple yet profound contemplative atmosphere of this work of art has appealed to me as it places the eternal thoughts of self-reflection in the context of nature, which has always been special to me. By placing the man within and above the natural surroundings, Friedrich embraces and invites the viewers to contemplate together.

Historical and Artistic Context

The works of Friedrich originated in the context of German romanticism, simultaneously reflecting and rejecting some of the established tropes of that time. While detailed depictions of the natural world have been common in German landscape painting of the 1820s, and so were depictions of nature explorers, the “Wanderer” stands out in several ways from traditional Romanticism (Amstutz, 2020). First, he actively subverts the traditional narrative, where the natural world acts as a mere backdrop to the primary story – the level of detail that he brings shifts the focus from a person to the world around him (Amstutz, 2020). In a sense, Friedrich develops a style of close observation, which is evident in the “Wanderer,” where the central figure examines the ‘world below.’

Hence, in the context of typical Romantic works, the “Wanderer” stands out. One of Friedrich’s unusual compositional devices is ‘Rückenfigur,’ which is when the figure in the painting is turned away and not toward the viewer (Amstutz, 2020). Amstutz (2020) argues that these artistic choices were a conscious effort to reform the traditional European landscape painting, introducing elements that are more characteristic of modernism like “physically impossible vantage points” or abstract compositions (p. 2). However, the larger pattern of Romantic naturalists’ comparative approach to human life and natural cycles remained in his work (Amstutz, 2020). Thus, the exploration and representation of self were mainly done by drawing human-nature parallels, which Friedrich interpreted uniquely. By making viewers glance over the vast, mostly covered by fog, landscape with the person in the painting, the author invites them to look at one’s mind.

Cultural Values

To interpret Friedrich’s artistic choices, it is necessary to understand his values and views. In reference to his work, Friedrich stated that “The artist should paint not only what he has in front of him but also what he sees inside himself” (The Wanderer above the sea of fog, n.d.). As Amstutz (2020) argues, he viewed self-portraiture as the portrait of the “artist’s mind alone,” not physical features (p. 55). Hence, the first cultural value that Friedrich conveys through his work is the importance of looking inward in finding one’s place in the world. The “Wanderer” speaks about self-exploration – the fact that I, as a viewer, look first at – or through – the person in the painting makes me think along with them. Hence, I find similarities with the artist in the values of self-determination and self-exploration.

The second cultural value relates to the historical context in which Friedrich operated. The Romantic ideal presented naturalists as artists “whose emotive and aesthetic experience of nature has real scientific value” (Amstutz, 2020, p. 43). In his strive to uncover what is “beyond that which is immediately visible,” Friedrich applied the same deep attention to the fundamental processes of nature as to his inner psyche (Amstutz, 2020, p. 43). The fog seemingly covers most of the landscape in this painting, obscuring the hidden but still present processes. Thus, I see the values of individualism translating through the emphasis on the value of one’s experience – whether that value is scientific or other, the most important thing is that its preciousness is rooted in individuality.

Cultural Perspective and Final Reflection

Many know the feeling that watching the clouds pass by or a stream carve its way through the rocks induces a melancholic, deeply pensive state. My initial response was based on my love for the natural world, which echoed even stronger once I discovered the nature-human parallel. Friedrich brings individuality and personality to his paintings without making the person in the frame the central figure. Instead, the person is placed there as a lens, pushing the viewers to contemplate along with the author.

The longer I watched the canvas ‘over’ the shoulder of the explorer in the frame, the more I felt like the author ultimately used the landscape to explore the nature of being human. To me, the message of this work transforms into the following: by carefully observing ourselves and the realm around us, we can make better choices and have a better future. The painting itself thus reminds me of the thinking process – whenever people contemplate their place and identity, they do not actively see themselves as an ‘action figure.’ However, each thought is profoundly individual and centered around one’s personal story. Overall, while I was initially drawn to this work of art because of the natural beauty, the hidden message helped me evaluate how I observe and place myself in this world.

References

Amstutz, N. (2020). Caspar David Friedrich: Nature and the self. Yale University Press.

The wanderer above the sea of fog. (n.d.). Obelisk Art History.

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Human Nature in Friedrich’s “Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog”

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