Friedrich's »Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog« – Film Production for Art History TV Series

Depth Over Surface – Basiliscus Film Produces Content That Lasts

A figure seen from behind, a sea of fog – and yet one of the most celebrated paintings of the Romantic era. For »Meisterwerke Revisited«, Basiliscus Film researched in Hamburg why the »Wanderer« became a mirror for so many generations – and shaped the findings into an independent, multi-layered portrait of an entire epoch.

Caspar David Friedrich: »Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog« at the Hamburger Kunsthalle

»Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog« was painted around 1818 by Caspar David Friedrich and is widely regarded as the defining symbol of German Romanticism. Although Friedrich's work was in demand during the 1820s, interest waned considerably in the years that followed, as contemporaries found his art too idiosyncratic, too melancholic – too mystical. A pivotal moment in his rediscovery came in 1906, with the centenary exhibition of German painting at the Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

In the modern history of reception, the motif has become a kind of all-purpose symbol, appropriated for a wide variety of purposes. The experience of the summit, the threat of the abyss, the physical end of a journey of discovery, and the openness of meaning all allow the Wanderer to be projected onto – or claimed for – very different contexts. On magazine covers, album sleeves, book jackets, in advertising, and above all in cinema poster design, the Wanderer and his compositional arrangement have found an enduring place – and with it, an entry into our everyday lives.

Today, the work can be admired at the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

Web Series Concept – A Journey Across Europe to the Icons of Art History

Ten paintings that everyone knows. Ten painters and their biographies. Ten masterworks of art history. Cited, reproduced, and received hundreds of thousands of times. In the series »Meisterwerke Revisited«, we travel to Europe's most renowned museums, present their most famous works, and offer a fresh perspective on each one.

What qualities does Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa fulfil to be considered an icon? Or Edvard Munch's »The Scream«? Advertising creatives, designers, artists, and art historians tell us why these old masterworks remain as relevant as ever – and share their own interpretations.

In the ten-part TV series »Meisterwerke Revisited«, Berlin-based film production company Basiliscus Film – commissioned by Deutsche Welle – dedicates each episode to one of ten paintings that have achieved cult status. Our camera team embarked on an in-depth journey across Europe to visit the most celebrated paintings in art history.