The Tree of Crows
The Tree of Crows | |
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German: Krähenbaum | |
Musée du Louvre, Paris |
The Tree of Crows (also known as Raven Tree) is an
The oak is based on a drawing dated 3 May 1809, to which Friedrich added branches at the left and elongated others so as to stretch its forms across the picture plane; the tree in the painting has the overall shape of a rhombus, its web of contorted branches taking on a dramatic presence.[4] Contrasted with the serene layers of chromatic clouds, the tree's forms have been likened to "many flailing arms."[5] The foreground may be seen as representing death, with the distant sky offering consoling beauty and the promise of redemption afterlife.[3][5]
A single dominant oak was also the subject of two later vertical compositions painted by Friedrich. In those paintings, the trees appear to stand in resignation, whereas that of The Tree of Crows seems animated by desperation.[5]
See also
Notes
References
- Börsch-Supan, Helmut et al. Baltic Light: Early Open-Air Painting in Denmark and North Germany, Yale University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-300-08166-9
- Börsch-Supan, Helmut. Caspar David Friedrich, Prestel, 1990.
- Grave, Johannes (2017) [2012]. Caspar David Friedrich (2nd ed.). London/New York: Prestel. ISBN 978-3-7913-8357-6 (p. 178).
- Pomarède, Vincent . The Louvre: All the Paintings, Black Dog & Leventhal, 2011. ISBN 1579128866
Media related to The Tree of Crows (Friedrich) at Wikimedia Commons