Final answer:
Caspar David Friedrich is considered the master of the Romantic landscape, having created iconic works that express spiritual and emotional significance through scenes of nature without religious iconography. The Romantic movement allowed artists to break away from classical forms and was influenced by societal shifts like the Protestant Reformation and the rise of nationalism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual who is often considered the master of the Romantic landscape is German painter Caspar David Friedrich. During a time when Romanticism was on the rise in Europe, Friedrich distinguished himself from other artists by creating landscapes that embodied spiritual and emotional depths without the need for biblical imagery. His approach was novel in that he integrated the natural world with solitary figures, the enigma of night skies, or the mystical allure of morning mists to elicit profound spiritual feelings.
Furthermore, the Romantic movement in art emphasized the importance of the individual imagination as a critical authority, allowing artists to deviate from classical forms. This period also saw the decline of explicitly religious works, largely due to the Protestant Reformation, which shifted the interest towards landscape art. English Romantic landscapes, particularly those in watercolor, became popular in the 18th century. The Barbizon School in France, inspired by English artist John Constable, played a pivotal role in elevating landscape painting before giving way to Impressionism. Similarly, the Hudson River School in America became a prime force in landscape painting during the 19th century. The works by Hudson River School artists, especially those by Thomas Cole, shared similarities with the philosophical stances of their European counterparts.