Formal art analysis

Formal art analysis

Introduction

The Monk of the sea is an oil-on-canvas painting by German artist Casper David Friedrich. The painting was done between 1809 and 1810, and it is one of Friedrich’s most famous paintings. The piece of art can be found in Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany. The painting depicts a Monk standing alone in the shore of a sea within a great expanse. The form, expression, and meaning of this painting speak a language that was understood then and can be understood today. In this paper, I carry out a formal analysis of the monk of the sea by Casper David Friedrich.

The painting depicts a man probably a monk standing by the seaside. The painting shows a picture of a man standing alone and gazing into the sea. The painting has the dimensions of the sky, sea, and land. However, the artist gives the painting a larger space for the sky, which makes up at least three-quarters of the painting. The painting’s dimensions are also not uniform with the painter preferring 110 centimeters by 171.5 centimeters to provoke controversy among the painters of the time and make his work more unique. The boundlessness is most likely communicating freedom and spontaneity. The artist has deliberately refused to create a symmetrical form, and perception by embracing the lack of a focal point also created an opportunity for viewers to create their own expressions of the painting and draw their own conclusions.

Friedrich is able to use colour and form effectively to reveal his emotions at the time. It is said that it was a period of great change and uncertainty which the artist is trying to portray. The monk appears to stand in a lonely figure amid a great expanse, perhaps to bring out the divine aspects of the painting. The color of the monk’s cloth is dark, which communicates the mood of the monk. At the same time, the artist uses slightly lighter colors in the sky to portray lightning and the moment before a great storm. The sea has been darkly painted while the land has been painted the brightest to portray the feelings of optimism. The sky is given a larger space to pass the message about God and wonder. The color has been lightened to create a hazy effect but also to deliver the message about hope. The transition from the sea to the clouds is done subtly to create an impression of darkness to light or pessimism to optimism. The monk looks like a man who is focused on the lighter parts of the sky, which may be symbolic of sunlight or a storm depending on one’s overall perspective.

In the painting, the man stands at the center of the whole painting to deliver the message that he is perhaps lonely and in deep interaction with nature. The position of the monk in relation to the position of the seas, birds, and land aims at conveying about individualism. The monk seems to be deep in thought, perhaps communicating with God or the heavens or looking for peace amid the turmoil. Monks are perceived as almost the true representation of spiritual perfectionism. The look at the sea brings out a message that even the ones we think are perfect are nowhere near perfectionism. The brushstrokes of white color are an illustration of birds in the sky just before it rains. The piece of work is a masterstroke in conjuring an expression of different feelings and ideas about the picture. From my perspective, the picture portrays awe, wonder, admiration, humility, and peace just before a storm.

A closer look at the painting shows that it is designed to communicate the time of the painting in history and the style of art. The lonely figure expresses what romanticism artists liked the most; interaction between man and nature. Its subject, style, color, and theme are aligned to the romanticism age. In this period of history, the artist probably wanted to focus on depicting emotions and moods of all kinds. Some of the common feelings in this artistic period were spirituality and imagination. The use of landscapes and colors was used to convey information about religion, turmoil, or even peaceful beauty. Minimalism is another aspect that defines the period where a variety of lighting and colors in the background creates contrasting impressions. For example, the darker and rougher parts are used to convey turmoil while the smoother parts are used to convey harmony.

A closer look at the painting also uses color to create a motif of interaction between good and evil. This is illustrated by the use of color, where the darkness is overwhelmed by light. The artist is eager to send the message that good will always outshine evil. The light shows the good part while the dark and rough surfaces of the sea depict evil, turmoil, and lack of peace and harmony. The piece of art is composed in line with typical German landscapes of the time, which borrows the idea of the use of picturesque from English painters.

Conclusion

The monk of the sea by German artist Casper David Friedrich is effective in depicting the common themes and styles associated with the romanticism period. The painting tries to communicate an array of ideas using the interaction between man and nature. Aspects of spirituality, self-searching, and the illustration of light and darkness are to convey a message of optimism amidst great turmoil and uncertainty. The painter has divided the painting into three parts to give more power to the skies and perhaps show the presence of God amidst darkness on earth. The individualistic nature of the painting and the central position of the monk points towards seeking peace within oneself the role of the immediate environment to seek and interact with God.