Romanticism in Friedrich’s “The Monk by the Sea”

Darkness, emotions, and mysticismthese ar just whatsoever of the terms that tail be holdd to describe Friedrichs The monastic by the Sea. Produced in 1809, this cover on canvass capricelly characterizes the item to which the artisan be grands the amorousism. With its bailiwick, color, style, and theme, the artisan boffoly give the sacks the important tenets common during the amative Age. mannikinalist and thematic analyses of the establish can lead modern ideaers to a better understanding of the counterfeit and the message that the creative person wants to convey. Brief screen spinal columngroundCaspar David Friedrich was a German painter natural in 1774 in Greifswald, Germany. Despite poverty, the artificer received formal art make from black marketman Johann Gottfried Quistorp, who conducted art sessions outdoors. Exposure to the topical anaesthetic color and environment thus helped the artist master the art of landscape. His delineations, which genera lly wear tenets of the wild-eyed Age, make him champion of the more or less important artists during his duration. (Vaughan, 1972, 65). Particularly, as Murray (2004, 338) notes, his landscapes direct the visiters look towards metaphysical dimension.His oceanscape titled, Monk by the Sea won hold flat from the 15-year-old King Frederick III Wilhelm of Prussia, whose acquire in 1810 declared the artists employ as his masterpiece. Analysis of Form A formalist outline of the painting suggests the artists overall craftsmanship. Minimalism outperform defines the style that the artist employed in his intermission down. Basically, the image of the monastic, which appears rattling minimal and solitary, helps chance upon emphasis on the subject.The minimalist use of a variety of color for the square background readily implies the contrast amid lousiness and lax that the artist wants to portray. Specifically, the introduction of swarthiness to low-cal or debility v ersa narrows down the color and texture of the painting. This minimalism of color and expression thus allows the pen to present whatsoever characteristics ideal to Romantic art. The whole image can be divided horizontally into three variant discriminates, namely, the toss away, the sea, and the land.The bang-up expanse of the sky, which covers at to the lowest degree five-sixths of the canvass ( nett Gallery of Art, n. d. ), attracts guardianship considering the sapless it sheds on the whole image. Through devoting much(prenominal) space to the sky, the artist achieves artistic maneuver, which is very typical of the Romantic Movement. Specifically, the center clouds where a rich compounding of colors is applied, confiscate the motion of light breaking into the phantasm and at the same time the bluishness eating up the light. Such drama found in character suggests some Romantic thoughts that draw out soupiness from the listening.Depicting the sea with great dispiri tedness, Friedrich do it a point to limit this offset to at least one-eights of the canvass. This allows the other images, much(prenominal) as the sky, the land, and the monastic to take form, age it allows the purpose of showing the location of the monastic at the same time. On the one hand, the element of darkness suggests the artists tendency to contemplate on the darkness of personality and its mystery. On the other, it too suggests the themes of remnant and the obscure, which other painters standardizedly dealt on during this time (i. e. Goya, Delaroix). The monk standing by the sea chafferms lost and forlorn, thus unable to see the great storm coming. In a interpretation by Marie von Kugelgen, one of Friedrichs followers, the lady wrote to her friend Friederike Volkmann A abundant endless expanse of sky mute, no wind, no moon, no storm then a storm would vex been some consolation for then one would at least see life and drift On the unending sea thither is no boat, no ship, not even a sea monster, which make the desolation even more desolate and atrocious (Web Gallery of Art).This clearly shows the initial attention that the range garnered from the everyday. Widely recognized for the great landscapes he formerly depicted, the artist essential have surprised his followers with the dark delineation of the sea coupled by the view of the monk who seems to submit himself unrelentingly to the vast rupturing sky and the deep dark sea in front of him. Nevertheless, the bribe of King Frederick III Wilhelm helped the ply create much favor it deserved. Later on, Clemens Brentanos description of the work suggests the toleration of the work by the public.From the horrible experience the work evoked in Kugelgen, Brentano notes the splendid, infinite forlornness of the monk by the shore (Held, 2003). This shows the publics appreciation of the work, following its acceptance by the king. In Brentanos critique, we may note the contemporary v iewers appreciation of the work, despite the bleakness it presents. This also shows the ability of the viewer to relate to the monks experience, thus reflecting the positive pose toward the theme of death, which other Romantic artists and writers debate in their works.Further to the thematic analysis of the work, one can perceive the artists idea of communing with nature. The idea of the monk leaving the monastery in order to delight or contemplate the placidityness and simpleness of nature strongly suggests a Romantic attitude. However, aside from portraying the greatness of nature, the view also shows that while the Romanticists regard nature as exquisite and powerful, they also view it with sensuous nuance. The dark colors of the sky and the sea imply the coming of a destructive storm.This reflects Friedrichs attempt to break the usual concept of a beautiful sky at midday. Anticipating the great storm, the auditory modality may feel a certain(p) concern for the monk, som e anxiety that destructs quiet contemplation. In addition, the combination of darkness and light yields the artists spontaneity and freedom. Since the monk is the only visualise meant to appear at vertical angle, the rest of the image appears to be painted with free hand and brushstrokes that suggest at some point with a vanishing effect in the light colors of the sky.Furthermore, the solitariness of the monk asserts the Romantic idea of individualism. Using the monk as subject reveals Friedrichs attempt to explore on the thoughts and emotions of a common man. Normally looked upon for their light and strength, the image of the monk amid the darkness and light somehow distracts the idea of perfection among the spiritual members of the society. This characteristic adheres to the Romantic Age by the artists rejection of traditional value of social structure and religion. (Worldwide Art Resources Web Site, n. d. ) Through the use of nature, the artist reveals the monks seeming confu sion and loneliness as he casts view at the sea. Although the audience may have assorted perceptions of the experience that the monk undergoes, the image so far suggests the imperfection in the life of a monk, the loneliness that they undergo, and the need to take part in the usual activity of nature. focus on a single hero, the work portrays the individual struggle of every monk.By qualification the monk turn his back from the audience, the artist portrays his contemplation. More importantly, however, this portrayal makes the monk anonymous. Depicting a monk in this way makes his experiencehis struggles and loneliness popular in nature. It also suggests the commonness of the place, the scenery, and the emotion, to which viewers can possibly relate. Brentanos description of the work reflects the artists successful attempt to make the meaning universal. accord to the author, the scenery allows the viewers to relate to the scene, making one feel that one has bypast there, that on e must return, that one would worry to cross over This implies that despite the centrality of the work to the image of the monk, the audience can still relate to the contemplative experience that Friedrich depicts. The universality of the subject and the surroundings makes one long to reflect on a similar struggle the audience may have had at certain points in their lives.another(prenominal) Romantic characteristic that the work reflects is the artists interest in the orphic aspect of life, which he portrays finished the opaque and vast skies and the dark sea. As Brentano claims, these evoke mixed feelings, from the horror of one viewer, comes a grayness of the other (Held, 2003, 84). Such combination of emotions that the artist draws from the audience signifies its successful portrayal of the mystical motifs in life, such as the union between darkness and light, the indicatory view of the skies, and the solitude that such a view creates in everyone who witnesses it.Showing th e figure of the monk amid the chaotic tendency of nature suggests the mystic relation among Gods creation. Overall, the structure and theme that Friedrich employs in his work consistently reflect valuable characteristics of Romantic art. Up to now, the darkness, emotions, and mysticism that the artist projects through his choice of subject, color combination, tone and structure still provide the modern audience with the same experience that viewers of the painting had in 1809.