The Monk by the Sea shows German Romanticist artist Caspar David Friedrich standing by the sea, battling with the vastness of the universe. A solitary figure stands upon a rocky shore, concentrating deeply upon the scene before him. He appears, and indeed feels, small in comparison to the towering horizon, powerful, dark clouds threatening to blot out the blue sky just as despair threatens to consume his soul. It takes much contemplation to pull meaning from Friedrich's paintings, and not everyone will come to the same conclusion. The beauty of Romanticist art is that it holds a different message for everyone.
The painting itself is dominated by the sky. The lowest third consists of sea and land, but the rest is above the horizon. Dark gray clouds touch the sea and fade into pale blue sky at the top of the image. Whether these clouds are a coming storm or just a thick fog is difficult to decide. Friedrich gives little indication of the time of day. There is no trace of the sun, but the fact that it is not seen high in the sky suggests that it is either dawn or dusk and must be obscured, rising or setting behind the clouds. The titular monk may be Friedrich himself. Close examination reveals what looks like the artist's trademark flowing, golden beard. It is just as easy to see a man resting his chin on one hand, but Friedrich did numerous self portraits, habitually placing himself in his art. The monk is such a small element of the overall work though; it seems that the action in the painting takes place in the sky above where Friedrich has painted a mental canvas of his emotions. If the scene over the water is any indication of what was going on in his head, then it is clear the artist is verging on despair. Friedrich was prone to bouts of depression, which showed up in trends in his work, so this conclusion comes easily.
Beat Wyss sees a completely different painting in his article "The Whispering Zeitgeist." To him, Friedrich's portrayal as a monk is in keeping with the German Romanticist movement. He does not consider the artist depressed in the least, and indeed says he is at one of the most self-secure moments of his career. In studying his many self portraits, Wyss has determined that Friedrich considered himself a modern human being for which "the world is no longer mirrored in his mind." Surrounded by nothingness, The Monk by the Sea is a testament to the endless struggle between the individual and the universe, singularity and infinity. Wyss says Friedrich has gone further though. He looks out at the sea with his precise view of the world and challenges his audience to hold the same view. If they are unable to, then they should walk away because they are not worthy of his presence. Wyss does not believe that the famous Romanticist had a message for everyone, but only for his kindred spirit. This interpretation paints both Wyss and Friedrich in the harsh light of egotism.
Two people can look at The Monk by the Sea and see two different works of art. Where I have seen a man transfixed by despair, Beat Wyss sees a battle between one man and the rest of existence. Others might see dark times receding, or just a lone man watching the stormy sea. Before coming to his exclusive conclusion, Wyss says, "The core meaning of Friedrich's paintings lies in the viewer's own interpretation, and there is nothing in them that does not already exist in the viewer's heart and mind." While Wyss and I may disagree on what the painting means, we can agree that it means something different to every person who sees it.
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