Johan Christian Dahl and Caspar David Friedrich were friends who painted in Dresden together where they lived as neighbors. Both worked in the time of Germanic romanticism with an emphasis on nature, spirituality, and the sublime. The “sublime” was the idea that the natural world could elicit a response that could transcend the usual state of being (such as awe). Romanticism also emphasized creative collaboration and experience in relation to the natural world. Friedrich and Dahl inspired one another towards the Romantic ideals through their friendship. After Friedrich gifted Dahl Two Men Contemplating the Moon, Dahl composed a similar painting with a Norwegian landscape as an homage. It is suspected that the individuals in Dahl’s painting are Friedrich and Dahl. Both utilized nature and landscapes as a way to promote the sublime and the northern romantic ideals of the late 18th and early 19th century. Each artist had a robust understanding of the beauty of nature as they painted many landscapes of northern Europe across their remarkable careers. The primary modality of both artists for these landscapes was oil on canvas. Viewers may notice the remarkable smallness of the individuals compared to the vast landscape. As friends and artists, Friedrich and Dahl utilized landscape painting to emphasize the romantic ideals of beauty, the natural world, and the sublime.
Caspar David Friedrich, Landscape in the Riesenbirge, c. 1810, Oil on canvas, 25.2 x 18.9 in (68cm x 48 cm). Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
Friedrich is now widely considered to be one of the greatest landscape painters. He worked in Dresden where he met Dahl and developed their friendship. This painting displays the Great Mountains near Poland. The small building in the distance is considered to be a church. It implements the Christian symbolism of the church that was common for some of his earlier works. This was one of Friedrich’s earliest paintings and displays rich color with a vast landscape focusing on the looming mountains in the background. The common theme of natural immensity puts human existence into perspective as it relates to the vast landscape.
Caspar David Friedrich, Two Men Contemplating the Moon, c. 1819, oil on canvas, 13 ¾ x 17 1/2 in. (35 x 44.5 cm). Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden
The first version of this oil painting by Friedrich was given to his friend and neighbor Dahl. The two figures in the second edition are considered to be Friedrich and his apprentice Heinrich. There is an element of closeness as one figure leans on the other. The common use of a pair of individuals in these paintings emphasizes creativity and fellowship as they observe the natural world. The bright moon in the center serves as the focal point directed by the gazes of the men and the lines of the trees. This would be the painting that would elicit a response and slightly different variation from Dahl.
Johan Christian Dahl, Two Men before a Waterfall at Sunset, c. 1823, oil on canvas, 15 x 14 in. (38.1 x 35.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 2019.167.3
Dahl created this painting in response to Friedrich's gift to him. The individual on the right is widely considered to be Friedrich while the individual on the left appears in many of Dahl’s paintings. This painting displays the beauty of nature that was so heralded by romanticism as well as the Norwegian landscape that Dahl was so fond of. This painting honors the friendship and creativity between artists at this time. The sunset is the focal point of the painting with a stark contrast due to value and color.
Johan Christian Dahl, An Eruption of Vesuvius, c. 1824, Oil on canvas, 37 x 54 ¾ in. (94 x 139.1 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 2019.167.1
Dahl painted this after a visit to Vesuvius. He created a sketch shortly after its eruption in 1820. This was commissioned by the Danish Prince Christian Frederik. This would be a relationship that carried on with Dahl completing many more commissions. This painting displays the principle of the “sublime” in nature and through natural phenomena. Once again we see the importance of the landscape in Romantic ideals. The rich colors of the eruption contrast with the dark smoke and surrounding land of the volcano.
Caspar David Friedrich, Northern Landscape, Spring, c. 1825, Oil on canvas, 35.3 x 49.1 in. (13 ⅞ x 19 5/16 in). National Gallery of Art
Friedrich portrays a bleak and open landscape in this painting. The light tonality and the blue of the distant background of mountains create a sense of the vastness of this landscape. This was likely painted from Friedrich’s studio as he remembered certain scenes. Friedrich’s fascination with the landscape was tied to a type of pantheism that believed God was present in nature. This likely motivated Friedrich’s deep desire to be connected to and involved in the natural world. This specific painting emphasizes budding new life as grass pokes through the snow on the ground.
Johan Christian Dahl, View over Hallingdal, c. 1844, Oil on canvas, 9 1/2 x 14 3/8 in. (24.1 x 36.5 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 2012.447
This painting displays Dahl’s deep love for the Norwegian landscape as it portrays Hallingdal. The cloudy overcast is contrasted by the shimmering yet distant rays of light from the sun in the background. The viewer sees a single horseman overlooking the valley from a high precipice. The romantic connection to the natural world is once again apparent in this later work of Dahl. Dahl brings his unique affection for Norway to the Germanic romantic landscape movement.
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