Soulscape: 6, The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog
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Soulscape: 6, The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog
From My Upcoming Contemplation Book: Soulscape – The Role of Art in Our Lives
Art Is a Bridge Between Thought and Experience
Caspar David Friedrich, The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, 1818. Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. Wikimedia Commons.
In The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich presents a 19th-century man atop a rugged peak, gazing out over a vast expanse of mountains and mist, inviting us to see the world from his perspective. His contemplative stance suggests reflection, while the sweeping landscape below connects him to the vastness of nature, merging his awareness of himself with the world around him. An interesting point is that our perspective, as the audience, is raised above his. Is the artist subtly suggesting that we have symbolically ascended to a higher level of consciousness? I believe so.
Art is a window to our future.
Michael, this is one of my most favorite paintings, and I love your expansive description and interpretation.
You always provide new, in-depth perspectives on viewing art. 👏👏👏👏
I believe it does. By virtue of the painting’s depiction it already puts on a higher plane just by contemplating it. Wish more contemporary art would do this but then again you have to have that kind of consciousness to begin with.