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Statue of the Madonna in the Mountains

Black ink drawing of forested landscape, statue of woman holding child at pinnacle of mountain.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Black ink drawing of forested landscape, statue of woman holding child at pinnacle of mountain.

Date:

1804

Artist:

Caspar David Friedrich
German, 1774-1840

About this artwork

This vast landscape by one of the central figures of German Romanticism dates from Caspar David Friedrich’s early years in Dresden, where he settled after studying in Copenhagen (then considered the artistic center of northern Europe). Subtly graded shades of gray wash evoke the gloomy, overcast days so common in Germany in November, when this image was created. The drawing also conveys, in the artist’s words, “Not only what he sees before him, but also what he sees within him.” In the center of the landscape, atop the highest peak, a tiny pilgrim kneels in prayer at the base of a statue of the Madonna. Nature—with its sheer, blank sky, stark hills, and mute firs—is depicted almost religiously. In this deeply spiritual image, humankind’s experience of nature seems as overwhelming as the unfathomable mystery of our existence. Just as the infinitesimal pilgrim wanders in this faraway, expansive landscape, so too did the artist embark upon his own Romantic quest, a search for meaning in the natural world that reveals the sacred.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Caspar David Friedrich

Title

Statue of the Madonna in the Mountains

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1804

Medium

Brush and black ink and gray wash, with graphite, on cream wove paper

Dimensions

24.4 × 38.2 cm (9 5/8 × 15 1/16 in.)

Credit Line

Margaret Day Blake Collection

Reference Number

1976.22

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/50276/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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