“On a Sailboat” ( German: Auf dem Segler ) - a picture painted by German artist Caspar David Friedrich in the period from 1818 to 1820 . The work is an image of a couple in love sitting on the bow of a small sailing ship, most likely a pleasure yacht . Against the background, the outlines of the spiers of the buildings of the city are visible. The picture was created in the genre of romanticism .
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| Caspar David Friedrich | ||
| On a sailboat . 1818-1820 | ||
| Auf dem segler | ||
| Canvas, oil. 71 × 56 cm | ||
| The Hermitage , St. Petersburg | ||
| ( inv. GE-9773 ) | ||
Content
Creation History
The painting was painted by Frederick immediately after returning from a honeymoon in 1818 to the island of Rügen . It is a unique case for the artist to display a specific life event in his painting; as noted by B. I. Asvarisch , head of the 19th – 20th century painting and sculpture department of the State Hermitage’s Department of Western European Art, “It’s customary to see a kind of romanticized portrait of Friedrich with his wife in the figures sitting on the bow of the boat.” Asvarisch also notes that the picture was executed not only from the sketches of the travel of 1818, but also with the use of drawings made in earlier years. So, for example, the idea of composition was first manifested in a sketch from a travel album of a 1806 trip to Greifswald (the album itself is in the National Gallery in Oslo ) [1] .
Quotes
Before the painting “On a Sailboat” everyone involuntarily becomes a participant in the scene: the deck is cut off with a frame so that the viewer feels himself floating on the same ship with the heroes. The effect of presence is enhanced by a light roll of the mast, which creates a lively impression of pitching [2] .
Symbolism of the painting
In the symbolic language of the artist, a ship could mean, depending on the context, life or death. In this picture, with the sails that the wind blows, it acts as a symbol of life: the image of a brightly lit city in the background is designed to remind us of the afterlife that awaits the characters of the picture in the future. According to another version, these outlines of the city symbolize the joy of returning to their native places.
Apparently, Friedrich deliberately reduced the size of the figures in order to emphasize their insignificance against the background of the seemingly huge mast, aimed at the sky and not having completion. This mast is a symbol of man's infinite faith in God. Sails filled with wind convince the viewer that the ship is sailing at high speed, and this, in turn, suggests the transience of life. The figures of the characters are turned to the left, while the rigging of the ship is to the right: the viewer gets the impression that he is also on the ship and even senses movement along the waves. This rhythmic wiggle is emphasized by the bow of the ship, raised above the horizon, as well as the direction of the gaze of the people sitting on it.
Provenance
Friedrich's painting “On a Sailboat” is visible in the middle right.
The painting was purchased by the Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich (future Emperor Nicholas I ) in 1820 while visiting the workshop of Frederick in Dresden ; upon arrival in Russia, she was placed in the Cottage in Alexandria (Peterhof) [3] . During the Great Patriotic War, she was evacuated, and at the end of the war she ended up in the Central Repository of Museum Funds of the city of Pavlovsk , from where in 1945 she was transferred to the State Hermitage ; since the end of 2014 it has been exhibited in the General Staff building in hall 352 [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Asvarisch B.I. German and Austrian Painting of the 19th — 20th Centuries. Catalog (State Hermitage Museum. Collection of Western European Painting). - L .: Art, 1988 .-- S. 81.
- ↑ Review on the Russian educational portal (Inaccessible link) . Date of treatment April 12, 2010. Archived October 21, 2013.
- ↑ Asvarisch B.I. German and Austrian Painting of the 19th — 20th Centuries. Catalog (State Hermitage Museum. Collection of Western European Painting). - L.: Art, 1988. - S. 81-82.
- ↑ State Hermitage Museum. - Friedrich Caspar David “On a Sailboat”.