Casper David Friedrich and Charles Baudelaire are products of this philosophical and artistic movement. Baudelaire’s poem “Elevation” describes a world unknown, which parallels Friedrich’s Wanderer Above Mist. The Romantic Movement is characterized by a regression to the outlook of the middle ages. Baudelaire expands on the souls function in the spiritual realm. He speaks of the soul moving “ with ease … blithely through boundless space.” As the man stands on a cliff overlooking the vast foggy valley below his soul moves with ease.

The luminous colors in Wanderer Above Mist represent the spiritual realm. The man stands above the fog, and contemplates his life his soul takes flight. Baudelaire speaks of the soul taking flight in “Elevation.” He states that he whose thoughts take flight hovers and understands life with ease. This imagery is presented perfectly by Friedrich’s painting. The man stands above his life with ease. He sees all and accepts all. The lightness that Friedrich approached this painting with embodies the thesis of the Romantic Movement.

Friedrich’s influence on 19th century art and philosophy is undeniable. With his use of color to the story he created, Friedrich took painting to an entirely new level.