Friedrich's Fascination with the Moon
Friedrich's paintings in particular reflect a fascination with the moon that initially inspired mid-18th-century poets and writers. These literary allusions are discussed in the accompanying catalogue's essay by co-curator Sabine Rewald. Long associated in folktales and myths with "the night side of things"—with magic, the semi-conscious, emotions, fertility (or the feminine), the morbid, or the ghostly—the moon ignited a cult in Germany that revealed itself most vividly in the oeuvre of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832). In Goethe's poetry and writing—as in the Romantic imagination—the symbolic meaning of the moon shifted from one of yearning and despair to serene contemplation to final demystification with the advent of rational, scientific inquiry. Goethe had actually offended Friedrich when he asked him for an illustration of clouds for a meteorological survey, unaware that to Friedrich, the sky—with its ever-changing mysterious light—was a phenomenon of the Divine.

Friedrich's Landscapes
Friedrich's landscapes rarely depict daylight or sunlight; rather, the paintings portray dawn, dusk, fog, or mist—phenomena that invite mystery. At the time, the German Romantic writer, Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg, 1771–1801), espoused what he had termed the "estrangement effect," which gave "the commonplace higher meaning—the familiar an enigmatic look, the finite the appearance of the infinite…the Romantic." The era's obsession with the moon was later crystallized in the words of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860), who, in around 1840, wrote, "Why has looking at the moon become so beneficiary, so soothing and so sublime? Because the moon remains purely an object for contemplation, not of the will. Furthermore, the moon is sublime, and moves us sublimely because it stays aloof from all our earthly activities…" Pious sharing of nature's sublimity—a Romantic view of friendship that was celebrated in life as well as in art—is a constant in the theme of Friedrich's pictures. The pairs of moonwatchers endow the landscapes with additional meaning.

Two Men Contemplating the Moon: Dresden Version
The symmetry underlying Friedrich's landscapes is usually severe, and the scenes are frequently without figures. However the Dresden version of Two Men Contemplating the Moon is exceptional. One of the artist's most often illustrated and cited pictures, and the best known of the three celebrated paintings, this nocturnal version is the most dramatic. The composition is asymmetrical, the landscape relatively crowded. Symbolic elements—a dead oak tree and an evergreen, a rock, and two large figures—evoke stage decor. Interpretations of this small painting are wildly divergent, ranging from exclusively Christian, to pagan, mystical, and political. The manner in which the two men are dressed can be read (and has been documented) as a reference to the German political landscape of the time. Friedrich gave this painting to his friend and neighbor Dahl shortly after it was completed, and it is not known to what degree this version informed the other two.

Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon: Nationalgalerie Version
Controversy surrounds the date of the Nationalgalerie's version, Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon, whose whereabouts before 1922 are unknown. In this painting, the light of early dusk creates a contrast between the darkened foreground and the luminous void of the sky. The silhouette of a dead tree with spiky branches and menacing exposed roots dominates the picture, and the two people seem stiff and mute. It has been suggested that the couple represents Friedrich and his wife Caroline.

Two Men Contemplating the Moon: Third Version
The third version of Friedrich's painting was acquired by the Metropolitan last year. Its provenance can be traced to its original owner. Friedrich had given drawing lessons to the daughter of Dr. Otto Friedrich Rosenberg, his physician. In lieu of a fee, the artist—ailing and financially strapped—gave the doctor this supposed last version of Two Men Contemplating the Moon (ca. 1830). In the painting, Friedrich reinstated two male figures, repeated a lighter sky, and painted with a fluidity and assurance that is not present in the two earlier versions. (Recent infra-red examination has established that there was no under-drawing guiding the artist's hand.)

Exhibition Publication
A catalogue has been published in conjunction with "Moonwatchers" by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press, written by Sabine Rewald, associate curator of the Department of Modern Art at the Metropolitan, with an essay by Kasper Monrad, senior research curator, Statens Museum, Copenhagen. The catalogue is available in the Museum's bookshop and in the online Met Store.

Educational Programs
The Museum has organized gallery talks, poetry readings, and lectures to accompany the exhibition. For a listing of programs organized by date, see the online calendar.

Exhibition Organizers
"Caspar David Friedrich: Moonwatchers" was organized by Gary Tinterow, Engelhard Curator of 19th-Century European Painting, and Sabine Rewald, associate curator of the Department of Modern Art.