This painting has become on of the most famous symbols of Romanticism. The wanderer is the embodiment of the traveler from Romantic poetry looking for nature and the sublime. The Rückenfigur as a typical Romanitic picture motif represents the yearning for a unitiy of man and nature in contrast to industrialised cities and growing poverty.

Friedrich’s painting is a valuable addition to discussing or introducing the Romantic period as it depicts the core characteristics of Romanticism. It may also be used for talking about contemporary experience of nature and environment. It is available in the public domain.

Painting · Germany · c. 1818