You are the Monk

The Monk by the Sea (1809) - Caspar David Friedrich

"The Monk by the Sea" by Caspar David Friedrich is recognized as one of the boldest pictures in the history of German Romanticism. The composition of this painting breaks a rule of traditional painting as there is no perspective depth, as opposed to conventional methods. In the painting, Friedrich illustrates a tiny man facing a natural landscape broken into three realms of contrasting colours. All of the lines in the painting lead out of the canvas highlighting the endlessness of the universe. The cloudy sky occupies majority of the canvas which emphasizes the tiny size of man compared to the vastness of the sky. In realization of his smallness, the man who represents human nature as a whole, reflects upon the power of nature. Friedrich effectively captures the immeasurable power of nature and juxtaposes it with the infinitesimal power of man. This dream-like atmosphere reinforces the Romantics attitude towards nature and the viewer is forced to imagine themselves as "the monk by the sea."

"If he sees nothing within, then he should stop painting what is in front of him."

- Caspar David Friedrich