Caspar David Friedrich [Hardcover]

Werner Hofmann (Author), Mary Whittall (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hofmann, director of the Kunsthalle in Hamburg from 1969 until 1990, presents a scholarly and thought-provoking discussion of the leading German Romantic artist of the 19th century. His well-written and -researched publication is the first major monograph on Friedrich in almost 30 years. Accompanied by large and beautiful reproductions of Friedrich's paintings and drawings (193 illustrations, 150 in color), Hofmann's text places Friedrich within the wider context of his time, offering comparisons with other artists, commentary from critics such as Goethe, and coverage of the social, political, and religious tides of 19th-century Europe. Writings by Friedrich are also included. Hofmann believes that Freidrich's major achievement is the development of "landscape as icon," that is, Friedrich's ability to depict the natural world in realistic detail while imbuing it with religious and spiritual importance. Poetic in and of itself, the book is written in the first person and is filled with meaningful and rich interpretations of Friedrich and his work. Recommended for all art libraries and special collections. Jennifer L.S. Moldwin, Detroit Inst. of Arts
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Well-written and -researched . . . filled with meaningful and rich interpretations of Friedrich and his work. -- Jennifer L. S. Moldwin, Library Journal, 1 March 2001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 299 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; 1 edition (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500092958
• ISBN-13: 978-0500092958
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 10.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I agree with "A reader": This book is sublime., June 17, 2006

By 

James Rockhill (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Caspar David Friedrich (Hardcover)

This should be considered indispensable to anyone interested in this artist, Romanticism, or landscape painting in general. As well as offering a carefully considered account of the artist's life and work, the text is careful to separate the myths that have grown around some of these paintings, carefully placing the artist within the context of his own time and covering the manner in which these images have been misappropriated up to the present day.

Above all, this is the most thorough and best-reproduced representation of this artist's work I have seen to date, containing not only every single painting I have seen from other studies of the artist, but also several I encountered here for the first time. I doubt this will be equalled (let alone surpassed) for many years to come.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime, April 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Caspar David Friedrich (Hardcover)

Werner Hofmann's new monograph on Caspar David Friedrich benefits from superb colour reproductions as well as Hofmann's own discursive brilliance.

Selections from Friedrich's letters are a neat fit, bowing to the idea that his transcendental painting ultimately eludes scholarly discourse.

This book lands with authority, passion, and a keen sense of the vistas of silence that Friedrich communicates to admirers everywhere.

A bargain. Snap it up if you come across it...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, February 16, 2011

By 

Daniel Larson - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Caspar David Friedrich (Hardcover)

What a great book this is. The images are large, and several include additional plates for details. The images are sharp with great detail. This is very important since many of Friedrich's paintings were very finely detailed. He often incorporated drawing elements into his paintings with very fine lines and hatching. The images reproduced in this book do justice to those fine details. The colors are also rich, while not being garish. Many of these paintings are quite dramatic and the publisher appears to have been meticulous in preserving the artistry and drama of the originals in these reproduced images.

This is a large book with extensive text and many plates. Great resource book. I highly recommend this to every art lover who is building a library of important artists.