Synaesthesia and the Paintings of Caspar David Friedrich

Abstract

One of the most important concepts of the German Romantic movement is the doctrine of Synaesthesia, in which the expressive power of all art forms blends together with philosophy in creating the ultimate artistic experience. True German Romantic art is thus never pure; it is latent music, painting, and poetry and is experienced on several levels. The doctrine of Synaesthesia, which received its first formal declaration in the Athenäum of the Schlegel brothers, encouraged the development of the multifaceted genius of a poet-musician-philosopher such as Wackenroder or Wagner and the literary-painterly-musical art of Kleist, Tieck, and Eichendorff. Completing this synaesthetic triad is the North German painter, Caspar David Friedrich. As painter, philosopher, and poet, he is an integral part of this artistic Gesellschaft and his works are the finest example of the doctrine of Synaesthesia in the German Romantic visual arts.