While I think of it, on a slow news day, I want to remind everyone that the exhibition “Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature” is now on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. But not for much longer!
For all us latent Romantics – by which I mean those of us with a predilection not for flowers and candlelit dinners, but rather withered trees, wan moons, ruined monasteries, wayside shrines, lonely seashores, and heavy woolen cloaks – Friedrich is the ne plus ultra of emo German painters. Anyone with an extensive classical music record collection or a long acquaintance with literary paperbacks will recognize his work, which has adorned many an album and book cover.
I’ve been waiting for this show for months, ever since I was tipped off about it by H. Paul Moon, who saw it in Germany in 2023 (and made a five-minute film about it). For one reason or another, I hadn’t been able to make it in to the city for anything other than a concert or work since the show opened on February 8.
The other week, all at once, I became conscious of the sands of the hourglass, as I realized my calendar for the coming weeks was filling up fast, AND I DID NOT WANT TO MISS IT! In a rare act of spontaneity, I hopped the train on a rainy Friday for a whirlwind round-trip, at the heart of which I was able to spend a couple of hours at the Met Museum. It was 100-percent worth it.
Hard to believe, for an artist whose 250th anniversary was last year, that this is the first comprehensive exhibition of his works in the United States. I loved it! If it sounds at all appealing to you, if your taste runs to E.T.A. Hoffmann, Byron, Poe, or Wagner, there’s still time to brood, but you need to act soon. Hie thee to the Met by May 11!
For more information:
H. Paul Moon’s pictures at an exhibition:
My earlier post on the subject:
I used one of Friedrich’s most famous canvases to illustrate this post from 2022 about a favorite television series from the golden age of A&E. Does anyone else remember “The Romantic Spirit?”
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2024494677717812&set=a.279006378933326
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