250 years after the painter’s birth, this luxurious exhibition catalog offers glimpses into the mystery of Friedrich’s largely posthumous popularity as well as the latest research into his training and techniques.

Largely ignored during his lifetime, Caspar David Friedrich was a meticulous painter of emotionally evocative landscapes, often featuring solitary figures or groups of people against dramatic scenery. His work inspired many artists until today. This volume explores the role that Berlin’s Nationalgalerie played in bringing Friedrich into the forefront of modern art history. It also shines light into Friedrich's remarkable use of pairs in paintings—including his most famous pairing, Monk by the Sea and Abbey in the Oakwood— which he employed to express a range of different perspectives and the concept of change. Finally it examines the latest research into Friedrich’s technique: his early training in Copenhagen; his sketches, preparatory drawings and underdrawings; and his unconventional selection and use of pigments.
Throughout this monograph readers will find stunning reproductions of sixty paintings, including several iconic works, and fifty drawings—representing collections from around the world. Coupled with the latest research, they combine to offer a completely up-to-date appreciation of Friedrich’s extraordinary talent and his unquestionable status as a pioneer of modern art.

BIRGIT VERWIEBE is curator at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin for painting of the first half of the 19th century, and an expert on Caspar David Friedrich. 

RALPH GLEIS is director of the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin with numerous publications on the art of the 19th century.