Romanticism · 1774–1840 · German

Caspar David Friedrich

Friedrich built his landscapes from restrained, cool harmonies of greys, blues and muted greens, often at dawn, dusk or by moonlight. Color in his work carries mood rather than decoration.

Across 5 works, the colors are mostly brown (39%), gray (28%) and blue (17%). On average the canvases are mid-toned, moderately saturated and balanced between warm and cool. Signature colors, used far more here than across the collection: muted azure blue, light muted blue, pigeon grey, pale slate and light grey.

Color print

The swatches covering most of these canvases, averaged over every work, dark to light.

• MG 222 charcoal 9.2% of canvas
• MG 095 muted azure blue 8.2% of canvas
• MG 213 light grey 6.2% of canvas
• MG 208 pigeon grey 5.9% of canvas
• MG 219 bistre 5.3% of canvas
• MG 177 dark taupe 5.1% of canvas
• MG 094 light muted blue 5.0% of canvas
• MG 207 pale slate 4.6% of canvas
• MG 175 stone 3.7% of canvas
• MG 173 putty 3.3% of canvas
• MG 174 warm grey 3.2% of canvas
• MG 176 taupe 3.1% of canvas
• MG 212 pale grey 3.0% of canvas
• MG 181 light sand 2.5% of canvas
• MG 216 dark grey 2.5% of canvas
• MG 215 grey 2.4% of canvas

Measurements

Lightness

0.55

Contrast

0.52

Vividness

0.030

Warmth

+0.15

Complexity

117 cells

Hue range

0.34

Focus

0.06

Works

• The Monk by the Sea, 1808
• The Abbey in the Oakwood, c. 1809
• Chalk Cliffs at Ruegen, 1818
• Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1818
• The Sea of Ice, c. 1823