Emotion
I'd like to begin my analysis with how this piece of art made me feel initially. I first came across this piece years ago in the video game Minecraft where it is an available painting. when I looked it up afterwards, I was met with a sense of adventure and curiosity. This oil painting makes one feel in awe of the world. The wanderer seemingly hiked up this mountain and has been met with a view of the world that he wouldn't have ever seen otherwise. This piece very much brings me a sense of onism, the awareness of how little of the world one will experience. While this notion may seem depressing to some, it brings me a sense of excitement in that there will always be more to experience.
Color
The piece is made up of cooler colors: blues, greys, and blacks. In addition, the piece incorporates more and more white in order to simulate fogginess and in turn represent distance and vastness. The wanderer stands in black clothing surrounded by the white and grey fog, in turn contrasting and standing out as the focal point of the painting. All of this comes together and gives off the sense of sadness, introspection and determination.
Lines
The lines of the rock formations are strong and straight, demonstrating the arduous journey that the wanderer had to undertake in order to achieve that view. The lines for the rock formations further away from the wanderer are still straight and jagged, there is still more to conquer and see. Finally, the waviness of the wanderer's hair seems to show the wanderer's willingness to explore while also adding another layer of danger to the picture with the wanderer overlooking a vast landscape while battling wind at the same time.
Texture
Because the picture is oil on canvas, it is already a very textured piece. If one were allowed to run one's hands along the picture, one would experience another sensation that would add to the vastness of the image would be the topographical feel that is a result of the bumpy and textured oil on canvas. The texture would help to relay the harsh journey that the wanderer had to endure in order to be able to look at the vast landscape.
Works Cited
“Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog.
"The Wanderer above the Sea Fog" is truly a master piece. Containing multitudes of feelings and emotions ranging from being sad, being curious, being lost, and being free. You mention this enduring feeling of wandering, which I totally agree. I in some ways, can reflect on this piece the experiences of standing atop a mountain, the wind blowing, and the gravel beneath my feet protruding. The artist expression by Friedrich as mentioned in your previous post is essentially 'wandern' - to take a hike.
ReplyDeleteIf I may add to your thoughts on the piece the color though dull and gray-scaled in some ways evokes the sense of heaven and a higher 'aerial' view of the world. To rise above and see out into the unknown. I both sense that similar art element of the color drawing us out into the vastness rather than the 'wanderer' themselves. As you mention 'onism', I would like to refer to this unique exposé of Friedrich here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go87azXN5Ms. It brings to light the various attitudes and ways Friedrich experiences 'onism' from my perspective.
The image portrays immense emotions as soon as you look at it. The feeling of over looking the shapeless fog that covers the mountain tops is amazing in itself. You can feel the wind in your hair and the crispness of the photo. This brings me back to being on the highest mountain in Hawaii on the Big Island. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite works of art too. I had a similar background with the piece, seeing the pixel-art version appear in Minecraft paintings and on the cover of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" in high school. I never had a name to put with the painting until now though.
ReplyDeleteThe feeling of awe and wonder carries through no matter where you see this piece. I actually get the opposite feeling from the piece, however. Instead of a sense of onism, it puts me in awe at how traveled a single person can be and how far a single lifetime can carry a person across the world. Thanks for sharing!