The painting Winterlandschaft mit Kirche by Caspar David Friedrich is painted in a mystical, gloomy scenery. A man sits wearily leaning against a stone, his hands are folded into prayer. He wears a light blue-gray pants and a dark green jacket. He is sitting directly with his pants in the cold and wet snow. He threw away his wooden crutches on his way to the stone in the snow. This circumstance shows that he did not want or could not continue. The man does not seem equipped for a long hike. He has no backpack with him. In addition, the wooden crutches indicate that he is not good on foot. He longed for a break or perhaps took the arduous journey to reach the crucifix.

His gaze is fixed on a wooden cross with a Jesus standing between large and majestic firs. It almost seems as if the big fir begins to grow around the crucifix and it will disappear over the years. The hilly landscape around the man is snow-covered. The firs in different sizes and the big stones are only slightly covered with snow.

The sky is lit in a yellow and blue hue, which merges into a slightly washed-out red on the left edge towards the ground. This play of colors suggests that the sun is just setting and reddish. The unique play of colors underlines the mystical mood of the picture.

In the background, a gothic-inspired church is eerily seen in its outlines by the veiled mist. The church, with its towers, looks almost like a castle swallowed up by the fog. It gives the picture depth and attracts the first look at the view of himself, so that the leaning against a stone man is only perceived on closer inspection.

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Winter Landscape with Church by Caspar David Friedrich. Available as an art print on canvas, photo paper, watercolor board, uncoated paper or Japanese paper.
german · church · crucifix · landscape · mist · romance · snow · winter · geography · germany · technology · painting · painting · Church winter landscape · Dortmund, Mus.f.kunst U. Kulturgeschichte / akg-images