Back in the '80s, Beth and I bought a poster at a Nashville art museum: "Stages of Life" (Die Lebensstufen, 1835) by the German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. The poster has ever since hung in our home. It's a nice souvenir of a weekend with Beth's maternal aunt and uncle, who've since passed away.
Friedrich's landscapes, some of which are allegorical, reflect the contemplation of nature. As in this painting, human figures are rendered small within the scene. Here are two others: his well-known "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" (1818), and "The Lonely Tree" (1822), with the tiny shepherd in its shade.
Friedrich was born September 5, 1774, and died in his long-time home of Dresden in 1840. When we visited Dresden back in 2007, we noticed a memorial to him in a city park. This intense portrait was painted by his friend Gerhard von Kügelgen.
All copied under fair use principles.
No comments:
Post a Comment