The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

Footbridge with Cross before Trees at a River

Footbridge with Cross before Trees at a River

c.1803
(German, 1774–1840)
Germany, 19th century
etching
Sheet: 19.9 x 28 cm (7 13/16 x 11 in.); Image: 8.8 x 14 cm (3 7/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Platemark: 9.2 x 15.2 cm (3 5/8 x 6 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 2006.133
Catalogue raisonné: Andresen 3; Börsch-Supan/Jähning 107
Location: not on view

Description

Landscape was Caspar David Friedrich’s preferred subject, and for him spending time outdoors was a religious and transcendent experience. Here, the artist presented the terrain of Northern Germany as expansive and emphasized the smallness of man next to God’s creation. The fine, dense etched lines used to depict the landscape are juxtaposed with the broad strokes that make up the sky and horizon. Friedrich experimented with printmaking for only five years, and this print is one of just a few existing impressions.
  • R.Hintze (Lugt Suppl. 2215 a, stamped verso)
  • Glaubinger, Jane, "Generous Donors", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 47 no. 07, September Mentioned & reproduced: p. 5 archive.org
  • A Lasting Impression: Gifts of the Print Club of Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 5-September 22, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Footbridge with Cross before Trees at a River|url=false|author=Caspar David Friedrich|year=c.1803|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2006.133