View of a Harbour

Playing a prominent role in Friedrich’s oeuvre are the themes of the sea, harbours and ships. Such motifs seem to have touched him deeply. The View of a Harbour may have been inspired by the harbour at Greifswald. It is evening, and between the masts of the two large ships in the middle ground stands the crescent of the waxing moon. Beneath it lie thin zones of colour, ranging from light yellow, orange and flaming red to lilac and grey on the horizon; above it, diagonal ribbons of cloud structure the sky. Within the almost unreal space thus created out of colour, the boats themselves are “floating” and seem to be moving forward out of the depths.