Landscape near Dresden

-

- Advertisment -spot_img

In form, this painting is a landscape with figures, at sunset. Three people, two women and a boy, have ascended a small hill overlooking a city in the distance. The city is Dresden, Germany. The women have paused before the top of the hill, waiting for the boy.

The boy is above them, on the summit, looking up at the sky. He’s in motion- at first he seems to be dancing, but looked at more closely, he appears to be gesturing to something above him, or even reaching upward for it.

On the internet, this picture is called “The Evening Star”, so presumably that’s what he’s reaching for. But there is no star visible in the picture.

The painting is by a German artist named Caspar Friedrich, and he painted it around 1835. He called it only “Landscape near Dresden”. It’s not a big painting, it’s about the size of a large photograph.

I first saw it in a museum in New York about thirty years ago. I didn’t know the artist, but the picture hit me with great force. It’s beautiful of course; the composition is perfectly balanced, the figures are perfectly placed, the technique is flawless, and what it has to say is easily seen.

But what it has to say is finally beyond words. It’s a somber picture. Darkness is falling. The women ascending the hill seem quiet, thoughtful. The twilight is still glowing, but the day is over.

There’s an overall sadness to the scene… except for the boy, reaching for the sky above him, almost dancing with joy. His gesture seems to be saying “Look! Just look!”– At the sky, at the star, at the world itself.

The contrasts of darkness and light, sadness, resignation and wild joy, combine to produce a unique and powerful statement about life itself which, as the artist understood, contains all of those things at once.

The title was changed later by someone after the artist’s death, from “Landscape near Dresden” to “The Evening Star” even though there’s no star to be seen. Probably this was done to give a clear meaning to the viewers, to give the boy on the hilltop something to reach for.

But “Landscape Near Dresden” is better. The boy doesn’t have to be reaching for anything, he’s just reaching. It’s a joyful gesture that he’s making– toward the wonder and mystery of existence.

(Back to MetroPost HOME PAGE)

Latest news

City’s 2025 budget still hanging

    “It will not happen again. We made the mistake before. We will not make the same mistake again.” This was...

Chinese spy nabbed in Dumaguete

    The National Bureau of Investigation and the Armed Forces of the Philippines presented in Manila Thursday an alleged Chinese...

Cause for concern

    The capture of a suspected Chinese spy last week right here in Dumaguete City continues to be the talk...

5 dolphins die in stranding

    Five dolphins died in Bais City, following a mass stranding in Bais Bay, Negros Oriental. Authorities suspect the dolphins died...
- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

2000 Canlaon evacuees to get TUPAD aid

    More than 2,000 displaced residents from Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, have been identified as beneficiaries of the government’s Tulong...

Comelec to hold candidates’ fora

    The Commission on Elections is organizing a forum for Negros Oriental candidates in the May 12 national and local...

Must read

City’s 2025 budget still hanging

    “It will not happen again. We made the mistake...

Chinese spy nabbed in Dumaguete

    The National Bureau of Investigation and the Armed Forces...
- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you