"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." - Matthew 7:15, from the King James Version of the Holy Bible."We destroy the beauty of the countryside because the unappropriated splendors of nature have no economic value. We are capable of shutting off the sun and the stars because they do not pay a dividend."
- John Maynard Keynes
- John Maynard Keynes
It seems fitting to illustrate Earth Day with this watercolor by Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), the artist credited with changing landscape painting from a backdrop for human dramas to a subject in itself. The Garden Door And The Open Gate offers a vision of harmony between the cultivated garden and the natural surroundings.
Image:
Caspar David Friedrich, The Garden Wall And The Open Gate, undated, Hamburg Kunsthalle, Germany.
11 comments:
Beautiful.
Your blog is amazing! Thank you for inspiring me on a daily basis.
Elegant post and thank you.
how beautiful ... i enjoy reading your post so much jane thankyou
How interesting that he decided to paint the scene from the shadow side. Thank you!
It's a mystery why this watrcolor by Friedrich has not been more widely reproduced, since it is in a public collection. Perhaps it doesn't fit the labels that have been applied to the artist's work. When I read Keynes, I immediately thought of this picture. It repays long looking.
I've not seen this one by Friedrich! It reminds me of the one scene in the film 'Withnail & I' ... nature and a wall and an open gate. I agree that long looking and pondering will be rewarded.
Rouchswalwe, I must track down this film, thank you.
You've got a lot of interesting stuff here.
I'm always amazed at how modern Casper David Friedrich's work looks.
With Friedrich, we are able to filter out the romanticism that doesn't mean to us what it did to his contemporaries. I could say that it is the clarity of his images but J. M. W. Turner's images appear modern and they are very different from Friedrich's. That's what makes looking so stimulating, I suppose.
Hi good day ! nice post you have . It's very nice , I have plan to setting up my garden can you give me an idea or steps on how to make it beautiful. i have heard some garden accessories such as wind garden spinners , wind chimes , and many more . I want to try this things in my garden but i don't know how to get the right accessories . I hope you can help me . thank you .
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