Dreams of Freedom: Romanticism in Russia and Germany

While some museums are closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Apollo’s usual weekly pick of exhibitions will include shows at institutions that are currently open as well as digital projects providing virtual access to art and culture.

This display at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow is the first major exhibition to compare how the Romantic movement took root in Russia and in Germany. Connections between the two countries, such as Caspar David Friedrich’s close friendship with the Romantic poet V. A. Zhukovsky, are explored – but so too are the differences; the show explores how the deeply religious Alexander Ivanov sought to adapt the Romantic style to gospel stories. More than 300 works are on display, running from the 19th century to pieces by contemporary artists such as Susan Philipsz and Andrey Kuzkin, who have drawn on the legacy of Romanticism. The show runs from 23 April–8 August; find out more from the Tretyakov’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here

Two Men Contemplating the Moon (1819–20), Caspar David Friedrich. Albertinum, Dresden State Art Collections

The Oak Fractured by Lightning (the Storm). (1842), Maxim Nikiforovich Vorobiev. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Portrait of V. A. Zhukovsky (1816), Orest Kiprensky. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Ferry at the Schreckenstein Castle (1837), Ludwig Richter. Albertinum, Dresden State Art Collections