Visual: “Monk by the Sea” is almost what I would describe as a work so minimal in content, that it is visually stunning. It shows a great empty gray sky, which covers the top two thirds of the work. Then a small bit of the sea and at the bottom is a small bit of what appears to be a solid rock shore, with a tiny man standing near the center. All of the various visual aspects of the piece flow together and it is actually somewhat difficult to make out one from the other.

Context: According to class lecture and http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/f/friedric/1/105fried.html, “Monk by the Sea” is meant to instill mankind’s relative insignificance compared to the infinite quality of nature. The viewer is intended to place himself in the monk’s position, and imagine the vastness of the infinite sea and sky before him.

Subjective: I love “Monk by the Sea”. I think the void of catchy subject matter makes the work infinitely more interesting to look at, and serves it perfectly as a thought-provoking piece. I don’t always agree with endeavors like this (ones that serve to provoke massive mental awakenings in individuals), mostly because I find that they are generally over-shooting their realistic possibilities, but “Monk by the Sea” is the perfect platform for Friedrich’s message.