Hallo – and a very warm welcome to our major special exhibition Caspar David Friedrich. Where it all started.
And where did it all start? Here in Dresden, of course! When he moved to Dresden, Friedrich was in his mid-twenties. This city, the capital of Saxony, was to remain the centre of his life for over 40 years. He turned to painting in oils in Dresden and here he created his Wanderer above the Sea of Fog or Two Men Contemplating the Moon, paintings regarded today, all over the world, as key works in German Romanticism.
One of Friedrich’s main sources of artistic inspiration came from his long hikes in Dresden’s closer environs and further afield, where he made innumerable sketches. Another important inspiration lay directly in the heart of the city – the Electoral Paintings Gallery, then housed in the Johanneum on Neumarkt square, adjacent to the famous Frauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady. In that extensive collection, Friedrich could study the great baroque landscape artists in paintings still part of the Old Masters Picture Gallery today.
To mark the 250th anniversary of Caspar David Friedrich’s birth, we are showing a large selection of his paintings in the Albertinum. We also are presenting selected Old Master paintings in dialogue with some of his works. Such a direct comparison offers an insight into the motifs and compositions profoundly influencing Friedrich’s art. The second part of this exhibition in the Museum of Prints, Drawings and Photographs then primarily looks at his works on paper.
And just one piece of advice before you start your tour: take your time. Friedrich’s pictures are always an invitation to stop and think – and that’s the only way to experience their unique effect. And now, enjoy your tour!
