Caspar David Friedrich

Perhaps more than any other painter in Western art history, Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1880) remains celebrated for his trademark canvases, drawings, and prints that explored the enigmatic relationship between man and nature. His profound yet delicate landscapes that have come to epitomize German romanticism celebrate the enigmatic connections with and revelations about the world around us, delivering a host of paradoxical emotions, echoing the experiences we have in the face of the sea, the mountains, sunsets, and the night sky. Inspired by Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature, recently mounted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in collaboration with the Alte Nationalgalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, and Hamburger Kunsthalle, this interactive lecture will provide participants with both an overview of Friedrich’s career as well as a critical analysis of this landmark exhibition of more than 75 paintings, drawings, and prints, many of which were brought to the U.S. for the first time for this show.