One of the most revered artists of the early nineteenth century and the leading figure of the German Romantic movement, Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) is renowned for highly symbolic compositions that reveal his extraordinary sensitivity to the cycles of nature, the effects of seasonal changes, and the ephemeral qualities of light. For Friedrich, every aspect of nature was a manifestation of divine presence.

Interest in Friedrich’s work has grown steadily in recent years, yet there has never been a museum exhibition in the United States focusing exclusively on his superb drawings. This landmark exhibition will be the most comprehensive presentation of Friedrich's work in North America in recent years.  While it will focus on his extraordinary works on paper, it will also include approximately five major paintings that highlight the artist's working process. The works included will reveal Friedrich’s experimentations with pictorial devices that are prominent as well in his painterly oeuvre, especially the rückenfigur, the isolated individual seen from behind contemplating the landscape, a pictorial element that emphasizes both man’s private search for meaning and the unity of humanity with nature.

Most of Friedrich’s works on paper are landscapes characterized by their atmosphere of isolation and stillness, but the exhibition will also include a selection of his lesser-known graphic work, including rural cityscapes and penetrating self-portraits made throughout the artist’s life.

Selected by Guest Curator Thomas Kellein, Director of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld, the exhibition will include approximately fifty works on paper and five major paintings drawn from public and private collections in North America and Europe, and will provide a full overview of Friedrich’s mastery of graphic technique and pictorial invention.  The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue written by Kellein that will explore the political significance of Friedrich’s drawings, the artist’s designs for the Marienkirche in Stralsund, recently discovered Friedrich drawings, and other topics.

Beginning October 26, 2008, Caspar David Friedrich will travel to three venues.

For more information contact Curator of Exhibitions Lisa Small at 212.988.7700 ext. 225 or lsmall@afaweb.org.  You may also contact Theo Walther, Curatorial Assistant, at 212.988.7700 ext. 216 or twalther@afaweb.org.