Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

          This painting was painted by Caspar David Friedrich in the year 1818. This sets this painting right in the era of romanticism. Romanticism was a movement of artistic and intellectual ideas that was primarily set up in the second half of the 18th century and was in response to the recent industrialization of Britain. It did not approve of science and many new technologies that proved harmful to nature, and believed that science could not rationalize nature (Romanticism). They believed that nature was something that could not be tamed, nor understood, yet must be respected. These elements show up quite clearly in this painting, as you can see how everything in the background is covered by fog, giving it an air of mystery and a taste of the unknown. We cannot see the man’s face or the front side of his body, giving a sense of emotion, which romanticists strive for in their respective works of art. As such, the emotion gleaned from this type of painting is somewhat close to the sense of mystery one gets when seeing something they don’t quite understand.
          This relates very well with the unknown, and the theme of the unknown is something which many romanticists would appreciate. The feeling of humility would coincide with mystery of romanticism and the power of nature. Compared to the ‘mystical power’ of nature, men are humble as they are in the presence of the unknown. The unknown is something which men must respect, and the same as nature.