#BOriginal – Birgit Poppe „Die Frau am Fenster – Ein Leben an der Seite von Caspar David Friedrich“

In the organizer's words:

On the 250th anniversary of Caspar David Friedrich's birth, Dr. Birgit Poppe reads from her novel about Caroline Bommer, who is little known but had a great influence on the painter's life and art.

Caroline Bommer is 24 years old in Dresden in 1818 when she marries Caspar David Friedrich, who is 20 years her senior. She had known the painter since childhood; he was a family friend whom she had always admired. "Line", as Friedrich tenderly calls his young wife, changes the bachelor's life dramatically, which also has an impact on his art. But after the happy beginning of their marriage, their exciting honeymoon with a visit to the chalk cliffs on the island of Rügen and the birth of their children, Caroline also experiences times of sorrow.

Dr. Birgit Poppe, born in Kleve, studied art history and German language and literature in Bochum and Bonn and wrote her doctoral thesis on "Leipzig Painting". She focuses on art and culture in the 19th and 20th centuries, from Romanticism to Expressionism, as well as the life and work of female artists. She has published several biographies and travel guides. The freelance author was a research assistant at museums and has been a lecturer in art and cultural history for more than 30 years. She offers lectures on topics such as "Caspar David Friedrich", "Longing, Mysticism and Poetry - The Art of Romanticism" and "Women in Romanticism".