Caspar David Friedrich: Moonwatchers

By Sabine Rewald

Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), a major figure in the German Romantic movement, painted sublime works representing nature at its most melancholic and desolate. One of his most famous motifs was that of two intimate figures, seen from behind, gazing at the moon. Friedrich painted three versions of this theme, one of which -- Two Men Contemplating the Moon -- has recently been acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The book discusses the Metropolitan's painting in conjunction with the other two versions and a number of related paintings and drawings by Friedrich and his Dresden friends. It also presents fascinating details about the moon itself -- including what was known about it in Friedrich's lifetime and its presence and symbolism in contemporary Romantic poetry.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1588390047
• ISBN13: 9781588390042
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Length: 56 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A gorgeous presentation

Sabine Rewald's Caspar David Friedrich is one of the most striking discussions to evolve from recent art books: it presents the works of a major German painter who included pictures of the moon in practically every painting he produced in the 1800s. A number of his works are featured along with details about what was known of the moon in Friedrich's lifetime, and the artist's Dresden friends. A gorgeous presentation.