250 years later, Germany Can’t Get Enough of Romantic Painter Caspar David Friedrich

Germany is set to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its cherished and famed artist, Caspar David Friedrich. The artiste who was born on September 5, 1774, was described as the most important artiste in German history.

In anticipation of his next birthday celebration, his birthplace, Greifswald is dedicating the whole of 2024 to honour Friederich’s existence in the world. “Save the Year” is the name of a website devoted to the legend. A visit to the website displays a wide range of exhibitions and events that would be undertaken in Germany to commemorate the birth of Caspar David Friedrich.

In a lineup of events to celebrate the birth of Casper, the Hamburger Kunsthalle opened an exhibition dedicated to the painter on Friday, December 15. The opening ceremony of the anniversary will continue on January 20, 2024, at the St. Nicholas Cathedral where Friedrich was baptised in Greifswald.

The current notable information about the romantic artiste is the purchasing of his sketchbook for  €1.8 million (nearly $2 million) at an auction in Berlin at the end of November.

The “Karlsruhe sketchbook” is reported by DW to have been in the possession of the Kersting family for over 200 years.

Casper David Friedrich was born to Greifswald soap boiler and chandler Adolf Gottlieb Friedrich and Sophie Dorothea. Just a year after his mother died in 1781, one of his sisters died. It is also reported that his brother, Johann Christopher, died while trying to save him (Casper) after he broke through ice during skating.

The legendary artiste is widely known for his allegorical representation of art. Some of his famous works are  “The Monk by the Sea” painted in 1810, “The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” (1818), “The Sea of Ice” (1824), “The Stages of Life” (1835), and “Moonrise over the Sea” (1822).

He started his study of arts at Copenhagen Academy from 1794 to 1798. He later joined an artistic and literary club that included German artist Philipp Otto Runge and writers Novalis and Ludwig Tieck.