Over the course of this semester, the concept of the sublime has cropped up on more than one occasion in my various classes. I'd never before fully understood what the term meant, especially as it pertained to art, so I decided to investigate. The understanding that I came away with was that the sublime is a depiction of a vast greatness and magnitude that cannot be calculated, explained, or compared.
The aspect of the sublime that intrigues me most is its application to nature. On several occasions, I have stood atop a mountain, at the edge of a cliff, or simply in my backyard, and have found myself gazing in complete wonder up and out at the incredible forces of the natural world.
I find it both wonderful and terrifying that no matter how much money and power a man has, he can still be swept up in a tornado or shaken up by an earthquake. We are at the complete mercy of the forces of nature, which can be tranquil and sunny one day, only to flood entire towns the next.
For my project, I want to compare the way in which different artists have tackled the immense feat of capturing the sublime on canvas. Some of the artists I am focusing on are Turner, Friedrich, and Rothko.
Has anybody else felt the sublime as I have when faced with scenes of natural wonder? If so, how would you describe the feeling? Or can you think of any other aspect of life that can be described as sublime?
I LOVE THIS IDEA! Question: would you mind emailing me your paper? You don't have to, but I forsee a future for myself that I might need to have some beautiful "sublime" paintings to pull from, and I LOVE the picture you posted! You certainly don't have to, and I wouldn't read it until after I get back home, but I'm ginuinely interested! Nice job!
ReplyDeletewjwood@college.harvard.edu
Aw thanks so much James! Of course I can email it to you. It's pretty much done, except for a little bit of tweaking, so I'll get it to you soon.
ReplyDeleteI also like this idea, as well as the painting you chose. I personally would consider emotion as sublime, when thought of as an entity in itself. For me, nature overwhelms me, in a good way, with awe...I totally can relate to the staring into the backyard analogy.
ReplyDeleteOut of all emotions, infatuation might be the easiest to write about, whether it is between lovers, or a passion for something in particular. That may be easy to find in artwork. Good luck!