Caspar David Friedrich & the Age of Romanticism

At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, Romanticism dominated European cultural discourse, from the fields of philosophy and literature to those of art and aesthetics. This period produced some of Germany’s most famous literary figures, composers and artists – from Hegel to Wagner. Friedrich is undoubtedly one of the most important in the field of the visual arts, and this tour will explore his skill as a painter alongside his enduring legacy.

Although the final years of Friedrich’s life saw the genre fall out of fashion, and his reputation was later damaged by the adoption of his work in the promotion of Nazi ideology, by the 1970s his output was re-exhibited and re-examined at major galleries, finding favour amongst critics once again. Today, the artist’s work is internationally renowned and highly regarded for its originality, complexity and beauty.

A tour of the Romantic Galleries at Hamburg’s resplendent Kunsthalle will set the scene for our explorations, before we travel to Stralsund on Germany’s Baltic coast, renowned for its red-brick Gothic buildings. From here, we will journey to Greifswald, where Friedrich was born in 1774, to visit the Caspar David Friedrich Centre, an exhibition venue located upon the site of his birthplace in the medieval town centre and home to the Society dedicated to his legacy.

Also in Greifswald can be found the Pommersches Landesmuseum, which presents 14,000 years of Pomeranian culture and history “in an award-winning architectural ensemble that combines impressive Gothic, neoclassical and contemporary architecture”. Here, we will focus upon the museum’s permanent gallery dedicated to Romanticism and to Friedrich’s life. We will also take in the nearby ruins of Eldena Abbey, east of the city, a subject to which Friedrich returned in his art.

A highlight of our tour will be a boat trip to view the famous Chalk Cliffs of the beautiful Baltic island of Rügen, off the Pomeranian coast, which Friedrich famously painted. The artist stayed on the island several times during his life, including on his honeymoon following his marriage to Christiane Caroline Bommer.

Our tour will then progress to Berlin where we hope to enjoy a privileged private viewing of works by Friedrich at the Department of Prints & Engravings at the Kulturforum, subject to final confirmation. This will be complemented by an exploration of the city’s Alte Nationalgalerie with an emphasis on Romanticism as well as other artistic highlights.

Finally, we will journey in Friedrich’s footsteps to Dresden, where he settled permanently in 1798, studying its art collections and producing many of what are now regarded as the pre-eminent works of German Romanticism. Visits in Dresden will include the Albertinum and the artist’s grave, and we also hope to include a private viewing in the Study Room of the Residenzschloss, which houses works by Friedrich, providing a fitting conclusion to our journey exploring the life, works and places that inspired this great painter.