2. The ‘sublime’ concept (first defined by Edmund Burke in 1756) holds that life spirit is dependant on its harmony with nature’s terrific ness, power, grandeur, vastness and incomprehensibility. According to Dr. Stephen Prickett (2007) the sublime is marked by the power to cause an intense pleasure over the observer, a pleasure that has transcendent qualities. The concept is strongly connected to landscape which is apparent in many works produced as the time which include overwhelming, wild landscapes, evoking pleasure in the observer as described above. For example the painting below by Turner (1842) titled Snow storm- Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth illustrates idea of the sublime as an overpowering force, in this case a storm that cannot be rationally or wholly grasped. The concept of the sublime contrasted the scientific empiricism of the enlightenment as it demonstrated (through art as a medium) that not all nature could be measured or contained within human understanding.
Snow Storm- Boat off a Harbour's Mouth (1842)
J.M.W. Turner
3. The intellectual movement of secularism (one concept that came from the enlightenment) enabled a shift in focus from religious paintings to works that depicted the vastness and beauty of nature. Previously in the 18th century the ranking of landscape painting as an intellectual medium was low, however when religious control subsided due to a new interest in the natural world I suspect artists experienced the sublime quality of nature and landscapes, conveyed this through paintings and the sublime became popular due to its mystery. The allure of untamed wilderness must have been very appealing to the enlightenment man because it’s so strongly contrasted the pretence that man could gain control of nature through science.
4. Richard Misrach’s work can be described as modern day sublime photography. He uses vast open landscapes ranging from dry textures grasses and sands to luscious and furious ocean. He typically has one or more figures in the shot, emphasizing the relationship and scale between man and the natural world. He appears to favor high bird’s eye view angles and distant angles which allow a generous proportion of the landscape into the frame. Some of Misrach’s images have a tranquil aesthetic value- conforming to the ‘transcending pleasure’ encountered by many early 18th century sublime paintings. However some of his images are thought provoking, shocking, unsettling. These types of images are more accurately described by the quote below sourced from corehound.wordpress.com
Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain and danger, that is to say, whatever is in any sort terrible, or is conversant about terrible objects, or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a source of the sublime; that is, it is productive of the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling- corehound (2010).
5. Other artists’ whose work reflects themes from the sublime:
David McCracken- contemporary spatial
-‘drop in the ocean’
-‘mainland’
Anish Kapoor- contemporary spatial
-‘cloud gate’ (1995)
-‘sky’
Christo- contemporary spatial
-‘running fence’
Kerry Martin- contemporary oil painting
-‘morning drift 2’ (2007)
-‘chasing shadows’ (2006)
Frederick Edwin Church- Enlightenment sublime landscape painting
-‘Dämmerung in der Wildnis’ (1860)
-‘the Natural Bridge’ (1852)
6. Misrach’s work appeals strongly to me because it causes me to adopt an awareness of my own insignificance in the world, but in a very peaceful harmonious manner. I think many of the landscapes in his work look surreal and magnificent, which creates a sense of awe. One particular photograph appeals strongly to me in an emotional sense; it was taken in 2005 and is Untitled #696-05.
The image (below) is of a couple on the beach in an intimate embrace sharing a kiss. The image is clever because it keeps the viewer at a distance while letting us see the relationship between the two people. The beach is completely barren which emphasizes both the isolation of the couple and also intimacy. I think it’s a gorgeous captured scenario.
Information sourced from:
http://corehound.wordpress.com/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6827/The-Sublime
http://artandperception.com/2007/07/wanderer-in-a-sea-of-foggy-ideas.html
images sourced from:
http://www.orbit.zkm.de/?q=node/143
http://chinachapter.blogspot.com/2006/12/early-tuesday-morning-my-sister-and-i.html
http://butlersheetmetal.com/tinbasherblog/images/steel_buildings_cloudgate.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94981824@N00/4300691
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/apictureofbritain/images/home_front/turner_snowstorm.jpg
http://faculty.evansville.edu/rl29/art105/img/christo_runningfence.jpg
http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/uploads/Misrach1994_21.jpg
http://corehound.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/richardmisrach1.jpg
http://www.robertmann.com/artists/misrach/images/f_misrach13235.jpg
http://www.evabreuerartdealer.com.au/martin.html
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_Edwin_Church_001.jpg
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~silversmiths/makers/silversmiths/47553.htm
http://www.aperture.org/exposures/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/couple.jpg
YOU HAVE TO HIGHLIGHT THE WHITE BOXES TO SEE THE ANSWERS TO 2,4,5,6. they are covered by images that I inserted but they were invsible in the editing window (i didn't know they were there!). very frustrating.
ReplyDeleteYay it's finally up Krissy!
ReplyDeletei agree with your comments on the topic of sublime and enlightenment, i looked at other people's definition/description of the Enlightenment but somehow i find that yours is more interesting and understandable to read.
I find Richard Misrach's works very elegant and beautiful, in image number three, i like the way the image is contrasting between the rock and the sea, it makes the sea very clear and pure. His works are simple; it doesn't seem like he needed to add anything else in the picture, but he can make 'simple' to 'beautiful' which is amazing.
The first work by J.M.W. Turner is very moving, the way he kind of 'drags' you into the image is somehow thrilling and makes you want to know more what's going on the other side.
I think it's a pity that people back then didn't appreciate nature and it's value, because it really is appealing to look at.
Misrach is best known for his ongoing series, Desert Cantos, a body of work he has worked on for over 35 years in which he studies the landscape and man’s complex relationship to it. Additional bodies of work include his documentation of the industrial corridor along the Mississippi River known as Cancer Alley, the rigorous study of weather and time in his serial photographs of the Golden Gate, On the Beach, in which he photographs from an aerial perspective, human interaction and isolation, and his current project marks a radical break with his work to date, in that they are his first images made without film. Working with a state-of-the-art digital camera yielding astonishing detail, Misrach has deftly switched positive and negative along the color spectrum.
ReplyDeleteI think his works always focus on the human nature,and his work makes me have a strong feeling about how tiny we are.we should thinking about how we should face the natural world and ourselives.
I like your explanation of the untitled Richard Misrach photograph (the couple). Misrach's works is often heavily focused on the relationship we have as humans, to nature. However in this piece, he also brings into play the relationship we have with one another, while still tying in his trademark vast image of nature. I think it's interesting how even a human relationship, the most important thing a person can have or share, can pull the spotlight away from an otherwise very striking natural scene. In every other Misrach work showing the connection between man and nature, the spotlight is held by the scene itself, while the people seem to be a mere instrument of measurement.
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