I have to stay alone in order to fully contemplate and feel nature.
Caspar David FriedrichRead
What the newer landscape artists see in a circle of a hundred degrees in Nature they press together unmercifully into an angle of vision of only forty-five degrees. And furthermore, what is in Nature separated by large spaces, is compressed into a cramped space and overfills and oversatiates the eye, creating an unfavorable and disquieting effect on the viewer.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on how artists simplify and compress nature's vastness into a limited perspective, often affecting the viewer's experience.
Caspar David Friedrich's quote discusses the profound transformation that occurs when landscape artists interpret nature. He suggests that while nature exists in a vast, complex form, artists compress this experience into a narrower perspective when they create their works. This compression may lead to an overwhelming or disquieting effect on the viewer, highlighting the tension between the expansive reality of nature and the limited representation of it through art.
Themes
ArtNaturePerspectiveCompressionLandscape
In practice
Example use cases
During an art lecture discussing the perception of landscape art versus actual nature.
More from Caspar David Friedrich
All quotes →If he sees nothing within, then he should stop painting what is in front of him.
Caspar David FriedrichRead
I must stay alone and know that I am alone to contemplate and feel nature in full; I have to surrender myself to what encircles me, I have to merge with my clouds and rocks in order to be what I am.
Caspar David FriedrichRead
All authentic art is conceived at a sacred moment and nourished in a blessed hour; an inner impulse creates it, often without the artist being aware of it.
Caspar David FriedrichRead
The pure, frank sentiments we hold in our hearts are the only truthful sources of art.
Caspar David FriedrichRead
A painting which does not take its inspiration from the heart is nothing more than futile juggling.
Caspar David FriedrichRead
Similar quotes
You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what's in your heart.
Carol Ann DuffyRead
An actor entering through the door, you've got nothing. But if he enters through the window, you've got a situation.
Billy WilderRead
My favorite piece [piece of music] is the one we hear all the time if we are quiet.
John CageRead
There is nothing more poetic and terrible than the skyscrapers' battle with the heavens that cover them. Snow, rain, and mist highlight, drench, or conceal the vast towers, but those towers, hostile to mystery and blind to any sort of play, shear off the rain's tresses and shine their three thousand swords through the soft swan of the fog.
Federico Garcia LorcaRead
When you first start out in stand-up and, probably, as any performer, you enjoy the attention so much, and even though that hasn't died down on stage, it certainly has satiated whatever was in me that was needing that much attention. When I'm off stage, it's not something that I really need.
Tig NotaroRead
If you want something from an audience, you give blood to their fantasies. It's the ultimate hustle.
Marlon BrandoRead