Caspar David Friedrich: Wanderer in a Sea of Fog

The artist Caspar David Friedrich is known for his ethereal, spiritual, otherworldly-looking paintings. In order to grasp the meaning of his art, one needs to contemplate the visuals, noting the colors, shades, objects, and the location of the figure, among other noticeable details.

For example, the painting above, called “Wanderer in a Sea of Fog,” lacks clarity. The fog, in the title and in the painting, obscures vision with misty white. The man appears to be standing on a bit of rock, the only clarity in the painting. He seems to be wistfully staring out into the distance. According to the size of the trees, it appears that he is standing on a mountain viewing a cloud covered upper atmospheric place that appears peaceful but non-concre…