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Abbey in the Oak Forest

The Painting

Subject

The artist has symbols of death throughout the painting such as the winter season that brings death to the trees surround the Abbey (Kleiner, 2014). The trees themselves are thin, leafless, skeleton - like, and the Abbey is showing signs of decay (Kleiner, 2014). The subject matter gives the viewer the chance to look back on all those they have lost.

Materials/Media

To complete this painting, Friedrich used oil paint on canvas which was common for the Romantics during this movement. The oil paint allowed the artist to create the dreary winter scene and create contrast between objects in the painting even though they are all dark colors.

Interpretation

Romanticism

This painting by Friedrich allows the viewers to picture themselves as part of the scene as almost everyone has experienced the death of a loved one. The dark colors, decaying building, and dead trees all add to the solemn feeling that comes over the viewer as they ponder this painting.

Much of the art produced during the Romanticism movement was inspired by the desire for freedom in all aspects of life, but another genre that grew in popularity was painting landscapes as Friedrich did with Abbey in the Oak Forest. Landscape painting were meant to inspire the viewer to examine spiritual, moral, and philosophical aspects of life (Kleiner, 2014).

Friedrich, C.D. (1810). Abbey in the Oak Forest [Oil on canvas; 4' X 5' 8 1/2"]. Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin. Retrieved from: In F. S. Kleiner (Ed.), Gardner’s art through the ages: The Western perspective (14th ed., Vol. II, p. 562). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Image by Tom Mooring

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