The Cross in the Mountains, ca. 1812
Oil on canvas
Dimensions without frame45 × 38 cm
Dimensions with frame56 × 51,5 × 6,5 cm
About the workIn his art, Caspar David Friedrich placed faith and nature in the closest possible relationship. For him, a landscape could become a Christian devotional picture. In this painting he illustrates the path to God. A stony and thorny area lies between the viewers and the centrally positioned cross, under which a spring gives water and therefore life. The Gothic church in the background seems supernatural and already like part of heaven due to the mist and the dramatic light. The viewer’s gaze towards it passes over the cross, which symbolises faith.
AccessionAcquisition 1921
Provenance[...]; 21.10.1921 angekauft von der Galerie Diemen
Inventory numberM 3
