“Monk by the Sea”
Today, a piece from the great romantic artist, Caspar David Friedrich…
“Monk by the Sea” is a moody oil on canvas painting by the German romantic artist, Caspar David Friedrich. It was painted between 1808 and 1810 and is one of his most well-known works. Friedrich was one of the first artists to use the sublime style of landscape painting. Through the sublime, he explored spirituality and a wonder of nature in a whole new way.
In this painting, Friedrich paints a monk in black robes standing on the white sands of a beach looking out into the tremulous water. The man is small in the composition, a speck against the wild sea, representative of nature and God. Friedrich is invoking the sublime. This painting was first exhibited in 1810 in Berlin. It was immediately purchased by the King of Prussia, Frederick William III.
The seas are dark and foreboding. They are framed by a dark gray cloudy mist that recedes into the blue sky at the top of the painting. Most of the painting is of the sky. The low horizon with the immense space in the composition draws the viewer’s eye down to the lone figure. Only his head and the splash of color in his red hair and beard are visible against the dark seas. His black robe stands out against the light sands.
This painting depicts a common theme in Friedrich’s work, that of a small stark figure of man against the grandness of nature. Using the awe of nature, he depicted his ideas regarding the awesome power of God and humanity’s connection to God. Friedrich was known for his paintings depicting lonely souls against the dramatic backdrop of nature. Other paintings of a similar nature include “Two Men by the Sea”, “Abbey in the Eichwald”, “Moonrise by the Sea”, and “Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon”, and “The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog“, amongst many others.
This painting and its partner piece, “The Abbey in the Oakwood”, were recently renovated in 2016. During this process, it was noted that Friedrich had originally painted two sailing ships in the sea, but painted over them to remove them from the scene before the painting was complete. He also added some blue to the top of the sky in the painting, adding drama and sublime.
“Monk by the Sea” is currently on display at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany.
For more on Caspar David Friedrich, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
