The solitude of man and the bleak beauty of nature are prominent themes in the work of Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840), the great romantic painter whose importance and influence have often been underestimated. Now widely considered to be the most important German artist of his generation, Friedrich died in obscurity and wasn't fully appreciated until the early 20 th century. An important precursor to the Expressionists, Friedrich once wrote that an artist must «close your bodily eye so that you may see your picture first with the spiritual eye. Then bring to the light of day that which you have seen in the darkness so that it may react upon others from the outside inwards.»