Rückenfigur (back-figure) Symbolism

A figure seen from behind that invites viewers to project themselves into the scene and turns the landscape into an inner drama of contemplation.

Common Themes

The divine & the sacredHeroism & the testMimesis vs. abstraction (truth vs. artifice)Nationalism & patriotismLandscape & placeHuman vs. natureFashion & adornmentThe sublime & awe

Artworks Featuring This Symbol

The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich

The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

Caspar David Friedrich (ca. 1817)

Caspar David Friedrich’s The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog distills the Romantic encounter with nature into a single <strong>Rückenfigur</strong> poised on jagged rock above a rolling <strong>sea of mist</strong>. The cool, receding vista and the figure’s still stance convert landscape into an <strong>inner drama of contemplation</strong> and the <strong>sublime</strong> <sup>[1]</sup><sup>[3]</sup>.