Chalk Cliffs on Rügen

Chalk Cliffs on Rügen is Caspar David Friedrich’s luminous view of the white chalk cliffs of the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea, framed by the slender trunks of two trees. Three figures — likely Friedrich, his wife, and his brother — gaze over the abyss toward the sea. The vertiginous vantage point and crisp, luminous palette make it one of the artist’s most serene and celebrated works.