The Magic of Silence. The Journey of Caspar David Friedrich Through Time

Two hundred and fifty years of German history — from 1774 to the present day — unfold through the landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich, the most German of artists, who revealed the romantic longing of the spirit to the world. Goethe, for instance, was so irritated by this specific melancholia that he smashed one of the paintings against a table; Disney was so inspired by Friedrich's works that they became the basis and background for the famous animated film "Bambi." Finding admirers among notable authors of the early 20th century and worshipped by the Nazis, hated by the generation of 1968 and despised by his contemporaries, Caspar David Friedrich is as controversial as the paintings he created. Florian Illies continues the tradition set by his previous works, guiding readers through the nooks of history, colliding epochs and personalities, external chronicle and private life, to create a portrait of an artist traveling through times and eras.