Caspar David Friedrich, The Cross in the Mountains (1808)
Caspar David Friedrich’s first major oil painting captures one of the most important characteristics of romanticism: the glorification of nature, which in this case becomes a kind of altar for Christ crucified on the cross. The German artist painted it as an altarpiece on commission from an aristocratic woman, but it broke with most religious conventions, and many reviewers criticized it. In his other paintings, Friedrich often focused on a solitary individual overwhelmed by the majesty of nature. (Oil on canvas by Caspar David Friedrich [1774–1840] / Galerie Neue Meister, Dresden, Germany / © Staaliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden / Bridgeman Images.)