In general, this area is much softer than the foreground. By relationships, I mean how hard one edge is compared to another.įor example, if you look at the foreground, the edges used for the rocks are harder than the edges used for the fog. Notice how all the edges get softer as you recede into the distance, yet the relationships stay intact. Much softer edges are used for the transient fog, clouds, and sky. This gives a sense of clarity and closeness. In this painting, hard edges are used for the rocks in the foreground and the man.
This helps convey the vastness of the landscape. Other than the foreground at the bottom, there is no use of framing. But, there is a sense of balance against the small but powerful areas of positive space (rocks, trees, and man).Īnother interesting observation is the open plane of the composition. Most of the painting is taken up by negative space (sky, clouds, and fog). Refer to the grayscale image of the painting below. The painting relies much more on value contrast (the contrast between light and dark elements) than hue or saturation contrast. The colors are restrained, with mostly weak blues, pinks, and yellows.
WANDERER ABOVE THE SEA OF FOG MEANING HOW TO
(I provide a cheat sheet on how to paint under different types of light in my Landscape Painting Starter Kit). This is considered to be a “good” light to paint under, as it provides enough light for you to clearly see all the colors, but not so much as to wash the colors out. The clouds and fog seem to be diffusing the light, meaning it is not a strong and direct light like the midday sun on a clear day. The silhouette of the foreground suggests it is overhead and out in front.
In his book, Caspar David Friedrich and the Subject of Landscape, he writes:
Historian Joseph Koerner provides a more likely interpretation that it is a certain individual, Colonel Friedrich Gotthard von Brincken. Some have suggested it is a self-portrait of the artist himself, pointing to similarities in appearance, such as the red hair.
WANDERER ABOVE THE SEA OF FOG MEANING PDF
(Bonus: Click here to download a PDF copy of my Color Theory Cheat Sheet.) Key Facts and Ideas
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