I was thinking today about Philipp Otto Runge, the great
Romantic artist. Like Novalis, he died
young, and also like Novalis, of tuberculosis.
He also shared with Novalis a deep religious and mystical faith, which inspired his highly personal and original (one might even say idiosyncratic)
forms of art. His paintings and etchings move me tremendously, especially his allegorical compositions like “Night” and “Dawn.” Like Novalis, he left us only a few years of
work, but in that work there is something truly invaluable, something that is
eternally evocative and fresh. I find
his work, like that of Novalis, so consoling; such an overwhelming reminder
that our strivings truly matter and endure.
