Winter Landscape

Yesterday's fog, which caused travel chaos across the UK*, reminded me of one of my favourite landscapes: Caspar David Friedrich's Winter Landscape (ca 1811). I can ignore all the soppy religious symbolism - the abandoned crutches, the cripple sitting by a Christian shrine, the misty cathedral echoing Nature - and enjoy the composition and the deft aerial perspective. His art, encapsulated as "German Romantic" consistently delivers spectacular natural lighting effects. But oh for a sprig of holly and a Brit. robin whistling in the foreground! (*Anything less than ideal weather conditions causes our transport infrastructure to grind to a halt.)