Wanderer in the Storm, 1835
By Carl Julius von Leypold
Romanticism is the romantic style or movement in art and literature. It originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, but it’s peak was between 1800 to 1850. The artist I chose to discuss is German artist Carl Julius von Leypold (1805-1874). I found one of his pieces very interesting; the “Wanderer in the Storm”.
In the Wanderer in the Storm, the audience sees a lone man wearing a large black cloak, blue pants, and large boots. It appears as though it is a cold fall day, and a storm is brewing. In the landscape surrounding the dark figure, there is a crumbling stone wall with an abandoned shrine, ancient boulders, an old birch tree within the stone wall, and a dark pond, all under a grey sky. The attitude appears to be a gloomy and depressed state of mind in autumn, as both a season and of the cycle of life. I found the piece particularly interesting because it reminds me quite a bit of where I grew up in New England. I imagine that this is a windy day with dead leaves scattering across the brown, hilly land and small white caps crashing in the pond. The stone wall and birch trees are also very familiar, both representing an aging and abandoned area. Most people, unlike this dark figure, choose to not wander outside in weather like this at this time of year. The man is wandering alone because he is lonely.
The painting reflects the “Romantic era” because it portrays life and nature, the way they have always been, reacting against the scientific rationalization of nature. “The figure of the lonely wanderer in untamed nature as a personification of restless yearning was beloved by the German Romantics and featured in their paintings, novels, and poems.” The Wanderer in the Storm was painted in Europe in 1835, during the height of the Romantic era. Carl Julius von Leypold created an intriguing story within a beautiful scenery, making it a popular topic of discussion for years to come.
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