Extreme Nature and the Discovery of the American West

Freidrichs experienced frequent deaths of family members in his childhood, possibly leading to this need to portray himself as the lone wanderer Relating to the bravery and risk of his work The face of the unknown didnt scare him

 Jackson, despondent after a broken engagement, decided to follow Horace Greeley's advice and go west Jackson was involved in Hayden Geological survey which led to the creation of Yellow Stone National Park He was in a position to create photographs of famous Landmarks in the West
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The tone, The light, The textures of the painting really emphasises the Romantic Period. It is very dream like, it would have come form the painters mind, slightly made up, he would have adjusted it to his own thought. Where as the photograph has a very harsh look, it is reality, you cant question the surroundings. The foreground rock is the main focus, so dont clearly get a sense of how vast the background is. The romantic period, the dream like painting has become a reality, the mind can change how it is viewed.

 The painting has a very proud posture, he places his leg forward with all elegance of a society gentleman. This allowed the romantic energy, the controlled enthusiasm to fully observe the conventions of that type of painting. There is more heroicness in the painting to represent the lone wanderer. There is a significant difference in the posture of the man in the photograph, he is slouched over what is possibly a camera, he seems more interested in recording what he is seeing. The focus is more on the environment, its more of a harsh reality. He is trying to present that idea of infinity, the sublime more so than the painting. Its more evident through the scale and focus.

 In the painting the man stands with his back to us at the summit of a rock. He is high up and the landscape before him has disappeared beneath the clouds. The mountain peaks converge, he becomes the centre figure through the composition and leading lines. Uses the rule of thirds horizontally and vertically, the man is still the centre third.
In the photograph the man stands on the rock in the top right but is still at the summit of the rock He is also high up but the foreground is more of a focus to emphasise the scale The photographer has used the rule of thirds vertically and horizontally but the foreground rock still remains the main focal point

The Painting- He creates a god like feel, he sets himself above the mediocrity of everyday life. His conquered the world in some respect, fulfilled a dream.

They are both explorers on a journey, A fear between the two

Photograph He creates a sense of freedom, he set out to explore the world

Politics + Social/Cultural
Above moving to the West The rich and the wealthy Who had more power

The idea of being a lone wanderer Popular idea at the time To live in the moment They both have similar religious views about God and nature being as one.

 It reminds us all of the lion king, they have both found their pride rock. The circle of life The photograph has an upward camera angle, which is like the animals looking up upon the ruler They feel powerful