I love this guy's work. This is a painting from 1832, The Large Enclosure (also The Great Preserve), Dresden. This was part of the old hunting park along the Elbe of the Saxon princes. At this spot was a ford and small ferry crossing.
The landscape itself is unremarkable. It is not spectacular mountain scenery, and yet, Friedrich fills a summer twilight on an ordinary river crossing with all the exhilaration of standing on Mt. Everest. Our stand point is uncertain. We seem to be hovering in mid air as we look at this scene. The pools of water in the dry river bank echo the shapes of the clouds in the evening sky. We get the sense that both heaven and earth are in agreement in this otherwise unremarkable place.
You probably like Biedermeier furniture too! lol
ReplyDeleteHis stuff is gorgeous in that cool early romantic way.
Actually no, I'm not that fond of Biedermeier. My grandmother sure was though.
ReplyDeleteI like the reduced-size one because it's really just like twilight: very difficult to see clearly, even though you really want to see.
ReplyDelete(It could be my monitor, too, of course! The full-sized image is less dusky, though, even on this monitor - and that somehow disappointed me.)
The colors make me think of Turner. My art history knowledge is woefully inadequate, I should take your class.
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