James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold

This oil painting is very abstract. It's almost looks as if there is not a story behind it and just a bunch of random brush strokes. However, if you look close enough you can see the picture of a firework show in a park. I think what I like most about this painting is the abstractness, and that you have to really concentrate on it in order to make out the scene.

Claude Monet, Impression Sunrise, 1872. Oil on canvas

Monet's painting, Impression Sunrise, is by far one of my favorite pieces. I love the blotchy brush strokes and the way it looks very abstract/surreal. The coloring is beautiful and I really like the way that the orange contrasts with the softer blue hues in the rest of the painting.

Caspar David Freidrich. Abbey in the Oak Forest. Oil on canvas

I really like the eerie feeling of this picture. The contrast of the different light draws you in and makes you really focus in on the cemetery scene. It also makes you wonder where the strange light source is coming from. The vertical lines of the trees and the towering brick structure, automatically bring your eyes down to the creepy tomb stones below.

Caspar David Friedrich. Wanderer above a Sea of Mist

In Friedrich's oil painting, Wanderer above a Sea of Mist, the view alone is very realistic and breathtaking. The way that Friedrich ingeniously make the point of view from the top of the man's head, gives the viewer the sensation that they are hovering behind the man and viewing the scenery from afar. The mist around the jagged rocks, the fog around the distance mountain, and the soft clouds all give the painting a very dreamy feel.