Study of heads, figures, and foliage 1802

This 1802 drawing by Caspar David Friedrich, a leading figure in German Romanticism, exemplifies his meticulous attention to detail and his exploration of the human figure. Composed of several sketches on a single sheet, it presents a variety of subjects: a woman seen from behind, a woman in profile, a group of women sitting around an easel, and a study of foliage. These individual studies, while seemingly disparate, reveal Friedrich's interest in observing and capturing the nuances of form, gesture, and natural elements that would later inform his more iconic landscape paintings.