Wanderer above the Sea of Fog - Caspar David Friedrich (c. 1818)

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17" x 22" Artwork on Scratch-Resistant True-Matte Archival Canvas. Our true-matte canvas is a well-textured 19 mil bright white, consistent poly-cotton blend with a real matte look and feel. Utilizing newer giclée technology, this is one of the first scratch-resistant matte canvases available. With an eye-popping color gamut and dmax, coupled with critical archival certification and the ability to apply a laminate hassle-free, it sets a new standard of exceptionalism in fine art. Internally, we refer to this masterful blend of artistry and engineering as "the game changer" that will capture every nuance in your images.

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Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is regarded as one of the most representative and important works of the German Romantic movement. The sublime power of nature is a dominant theme in Friedrich’s paintings.

The landscape of his native Germany was a source of inspiration, but his personal history might also explain the ominous tension between beauty and terror in his representation of nature. When he was 13 years old, he was skating with his younger brother on a frozen lake when the ice cracked, and his brother fell through and drowned, by some accounts in the course of saving him.

Friedrich’s philosophy of art was expressed in his statement that “The painter should paint not only what he has in front of him, but also what he sees inside himself. If he sees nothing within, then he should stop painting what is in front of him.”

The lone, elegant figure in Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog stands with his back to the viewer, a device called Rückenfigur that Friedrich frequently employed. The man is depicted standing on a rocky precipice gazing at a valley in which rocks, trees, and mountains appear rising above a thick, rolling mist.

This painting was not based upon an actual view experienced by Friedrich but consists of details drawn from sketches of various places he visited, including locations in Germany and Switzerland.

The identity of the lone figure has been the subject of debate. Some believe it to be the artist himself, while one scholar believes it to be a portrait of a forestry official who had recently been killed fighting for Prussia against Napoleonic France.

Friedrich, who began painting in oils only after age 30, demonstrates a clear understanding of the medium in the depths of dark color he employs to execute his mysterious, foreboding imagery.

Original painting is on display at Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany