The Beach at Wieck near Greifswald
about 1815–1821
- Medium
- Pen and ink over graphite
- Dimensions
- 21.8 × 17.9 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-200756
Depicting a coastal scene with overturned boats in the foreground and various types of vessels on the open water, this delicately rendered drawing was given by foremost German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich to the art instructor A.V. Endres. While the drawing approximates the quality of Friedrich’s studies drawn from life, it is a finished work. It is a carefully composed image comprised of motifs that the artist collected during sketching trips in the region of Greifswald around 1815. Given Friedrich’s symbolic approach to landscape, it is possible to read the composition as an allegory of the ephemerality of human life. The inscription at the bottom of the sheet translates as: "Original drawing by the landscape painter Mr. Friedrich, member of the Royal Saxon Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden. Depicting a scene on the Baltic Sea. Given to me as a gift by him during my stay in Dresden in the year 1821. A.V. Endres”
Provenance
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Registry history
- about 1815–1821 — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum — drawings
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