You call me a misanthrope because I avoid society. You err; I love society. Yet in order not to hate people, I must avoid their company.

He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscapes which typically feature contemplative figures silhouetted against night skies morning mists barren trees or Gothic ruins. The early 20th century brought a renewed appreciation of his work beginning in 1906 with an exhibition of thirty-two of his paintings and sculptures in Berlin. Friedrich was born in the Swedish Pomeranian town of Greifswald where he began his studies in art as a youth.