“Landscape with Grave, Coffin and Owl”
“Landscape with Grave, Coffin and Owl” is a sepia ink wash and pencil on paper drawing from circa 1835 to 1838 by the German Romantic style artist, Caspar David Friedrich. It was made in the last years of his life.
This drawing depicts an owl perched on a coffin sitting atop a newly dug grave with a coil of rope and two shovels. The owl stares straight into the eye of the viewer, creating a strong focal point. The scene is lit by the full moon in the sky almost resting atop the owl’s head. Friedrich drew Cape Arkona, the steep coast depicted on the left in the background, on the island of Rügen in Germany, where he did his earlier landscape studies almost 20 years prior.
Friedrich suffered a stroke in 1835 which left him partially paralyzed in his arms and legs. He was no longer able to paint his beautiful oil pieces. For several years, he tried to satisfy his artistic cravings through drawings. By 1838, he was no longer able to draw.
During this last period, Friedrich became obsessed with death and dying. He created a number of pieces depicting owls, graves, and other death themed imagery.
“Landscape with Grave, Coffin and Owl” is currently in the collection of the Hamburger Kunsthalle art museum in Hamburg, Germany.
For more on Caspar David Friedrich, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
