Kuhlemann, U.C.;
(2010)
Caspar David Friedrich, Christian Friedrich and the woodcut in Germany in the Romantic period.
Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).
Abstract
This thesis investigates the German artist Caspar David Friedrich and his involvement in the woodcut production of his brother, the carpenter and furniture maker Christian Friedrich. An analysis of published correspondence and other, previously unpublished material reveals that the collaboration of the Friedrich brothers lasted circa 25 years and encompassed the production of at least twelve, probably fourteen woodcuts. During this period, Caspar David Friedrich's role changed significantly, from initial designer to later agent and general advisor. It also becomes apparent that this collaboration was not without tensions, which can be related to the brothers' different backgrounds and respective expectations from the woodcut technique. The Friedrich brothers' various woodcut activities are further investigated in the print-historical context of woodcut making in early nineteenth-century Germany. This includes a discussion of the woodcut practitioners Johann Friedrich Unger and Friedrich Wilhelm Gubitz and the emergence of the English wood-engraving technique, popularised by Thomas Bewick and his pupils. Particular attention is paid to the reproductive applications of the woodcut technique which ranged from ephemeral printmaking, textile-printing, book decorations to fine art reproduction. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the Romantic movement and the discovery of the woodcut's potential as symbol of cultural identity. Within this context, the Friedrich brothers' early woodcuts are re-evaluated as illustrative work for a possible publication of poems and texts by Caspar David Friedrich.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Caspar David Friedrich, Christian Friedrich and the woodcut in Germany in the Romantic period |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Authorisation for digitisation not received |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of History of Art |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/19489 |
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