The bias that 'The History of Art' has had towards Italian art has meant that, with the exception perhaps of Dürer, as a result of his avid printmaking, and Holbein, adopted as a British artist thanks to his long residency in London, we are far less familiar than we might be with the art of Germany. This might seem natural, given the historical enmity between the two countries - but that is something that was only current in the first half of the 20th century. In the 19th Century the British Royal Family was essentially German, and in the earlier years of the National Gallery, Albert, the Prince Consort, was, of course, entirely German... and yet few works from his native country entered the National Collection.

Nevertheless, as British Art was really starting to find its feet, and making an international name for itself with artists such as Constable and Turner, Germany's artistic scene was flourishing with its own Romantic artists. 

In this talk we will focus on two of the most important, Casper David Friedrich and Phillip Otto Runge, to try and capture the essence of this important and influential movement.