Summer

A slim poplar tree rises right through the middle of this painting, its branches stretching up into a pale summer sky. Caspar David Friedrich made this scene in 1807, and it forms part of a series he built around the four seasons. Green rolling hills, a river bending its way through the valley, and faint blue mountains far away all pull your gaze back and back into the distance. The soft warmth of the light gives the whole thing the sleepy, contented mood of a long afternoon in high summer.

Tucked down near the foot of the tree, half hidden among the plants, sits a pair of lovers holding each other close. They are small enough to walk right past, yet they carry the real message of the picture. For Friedrich, summer stood for the ripeness of life, a season of growth and love, and the couple ties that idea neatly to the land around them. This painter usually leaned toward darker, lonelier scenes filled with fog and longing, so seeing him in such a gentle, hopeful mood is a genuine surprise. Here he simply lets nature be generous, and the result is one of his warmer, more comforting works.