The Draughtsman 50 predominant emphasis on contours, this somewhat conventional composition betrays inconsistencies. Quite typical for Friedrich are the rocks set in the water in the foreground, their distinct contours defined using just a few lines. Similar stones are found later in Friedrich’s landscapes of the coastline on Rügen (fig. 18). Friedrich proceeds in a very similar fashion in his studies of rock formations in Saxon Switzerland, with powerful contours retraced with pen and the shadowed areas and elements integrated into the landscape using wash (figs. 10 –13). He does not, however, pursue the possibilities of typical or picturesque arrangements, as in the above-mentioned sheet Stream with a Bridge, instead betraying a pronounced interest in exceptional or particularly striking constellations of motifs. His Rock Studies of 20 May 1799 makes an almost surreal impression (fig. 10); the fantastical rock formations recorded in a sketchbook on 17 August 1799 (fig.12) went on to serve a number of years later as the model for the summit of the mountain in the sepia Cross in the Mountains (fig. 50). They appear again in the ensuing version in oil known as the Tetschen Altarpiece (fig. 1, p. 239), whose mountain peak is modelled on Honigstein in Saxon Switzerland. Clearly, Friedrich repeatedly took up his studies independently of their date of origin, picking out a variety of motifs he would then incorporate into his invented compositions. PAPER Friedrich lived in a time of change – not just socially and politically, but technologically as well. This also applies to the artist’s materials available to him. Tried-and-true materials and implements remained in use for decades, while at the same time new methods and technical innovations were put to the test. A decisive factor alongside the delight in experimentation on the part of artists was the availability of certain materials. Today, we are increasingly gaining better insights into such technological transformations by consulting previously little-regarded historical sources, as well as by exploiting advances in scientific sampling and imaging methods.9 Friedrich explored the potential of new innovations in drawing materials, as well as in technical aids, instructing himself on how best to make use of them through the latest artist manuals and other publications.10 For this reason, his oeuvre reflects the dramatic changes taking place in the development of paper and drawing materials at the turn 10 Caspar David Friedrich Rock Studies Disbound Berlin Sketchbook I 20 May 1799 | CAT 17 11 Caspar David Friedrich Rocky Slope Disbound Berlin Sketchbook I 9 June 1799 | CAT 19 12 Caspar David Friedrich Boulders with Plants in Between Disbound Berlin Sketchbook II 17 August 1799 | CAT 25 13 Caspar David Friedrich Studies of Stones and Rocks, Study of Rocks with a Flight of Steps Disbound Berlin Sketchbook II 2 October 1799 | CAT 26 9 Caspar David Friedrich Stream with a Bridge c. 1799 | CAT 32 10 12 11 13
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