Television painting icon Bob Ross famously said, “It’s the imperfections that make something beautiful.” In “Ugly Pretty,” leading artists, art professionals, and creatives delve into the idea of imperfect beauty by analyzing a single artwork. Through their perspectives, we uncover how these unique works reshape the way we view the world. Listen as they describe the artwork in their own words.

I’m an archaeologist, not an art historian, so in many ways I am still learning about art. But I’m responsible for the largest cultural institution in Germany, overseeing 19 museums that span history, from the Stone Age to Contemporary Art. It’s a privilege to work with such collections and open exhibitions across different eras. One artist whose work has always been particularly special to me is Caspar David Friedrich.

Friedrich, a late 18th- and early 19th-century painter, is the focus of major exhibitions in Germany this year in celebration of his 250th birthday, one of which will travel to the Metropolitan Museum in New York in February 2025. Often called the “painter of the German spirit” or the quintessential Romantic artist, Friedrich is closely tied to Germany’s philosophy and cultural identity. His art resonates deeply with what some describe as a “strange German soul.”

Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, (c. 1817) is one of the most widely recognized paintings associated with German Romanticism. Permanent loan from the Stiftung Hamburger Kunstsammlungen. © SHK / Hamburger Kunsthalle / bpk. Photo: Elke Walford

Friedrich’s work is fascinating because it breaks with the traditions of his time. He challenged the artistic norms of his period, turning art in a new direction. Initially, Friedrich achieved enormous success in the early 19th century but was later forgotten until 1906, when the National Gallery in Berlin rediscovered his works. That exhibition was a breakthrough, reestablishing him as one of Germany’s most important painters.

Among his iconic works is Abbey in the Oakwood (1809–10), a painting I find particularly captivating. This painting is rather typical of Friedrich. At the center is an abbey, or really the ruins of an abbey, and the composition is built like a triptych, in three parts. To the left and to the right are groups of trees. And these trees are also half destroyed, as if a hurricane went through somehow. Not only is there all this destruction, it is also very dark. But there is light coming in, like the darkness is in the past and the future is brighter.  It’s a certain mood of landscape, a tragedy of landscape, and this is something that is very touching.

There are many political ideas people have tried to project onto Friedrich’s work. Of course, during the Romantic period in the 19th century, it was an expression of nationalism in the fight against the Napoleonic occupation—the artist was very political in that sense. Later, the Nazis wanted to claim it for their movement as an expression of “Germanness.” And even now, the environmental movements also rely on him, because in a way he understood that nature is something very fragile we have to care for.

From 2014 to 2016, a restoration of Abbey in the Oakwood revealed new details, including figures and vibrant colors previously obscured by layers of varnish applied in earlier restorations. It was like an archaeological excavation, uncovering layers of history and creative intention. This process made the painting more powerful, showing Friedrich’s iterative approach to his painting.

As told to Margaret Carrigan at Art For Tomorrow in Venice (June 5–7, 2024), where Artnet was an official content partner. Audio production provided by executive producer Sonia Manalili.

Hermann Parzinger has led the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) since 2008. The SPK, one of the world’s largest cultural institutions, includes 27 museums, libraries, and research institutes, with collections spanning archaeology, ethnology, visual arts, literature, and music.