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| 'Wanderer in the mists' (1818) Caspar David Friedrich |
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| 'Untitled #2" (2002) Richard Misrach |
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| 'Untitled # 394-03' (2003) Richard Misrach |
1. What and when was the Enlightenment?
Enlightenment was the beginning of a philosophic movement during the 18th century. It was a movement which defied traditional and religious views on nature, society and man. More rational and intellectual thought was required to look deeper into such significance of existence of nature and the human race. It was what brought change and new development in art and science. I believe that enlightenment still exists today, within education systems and also anti religion believers - Atheists.
2. Define the concept of the Sublime.
The sublime is a kind of emotion and tone which is described to be the feeling of enormity and vastness within nature, a feeling of being overwhelmed by the sheer size of vast great landscapes. It was stated that sublime was, “the ultimate experience of divinity, a mixture of awe, fear, and enlightenment produced by the contemplation of a powerful, terrifying nature”, an emotional acknowledgment of nature's dominance over humans.
3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?
During the era of enlightenment, people began to think more rationally and philosophically - rather than depending on religion to define for them the meaning of things, they turned to their own logical thoughts to study and dissect nature itself. They began to think for themselves more rather than just consuming what was written in religious texts. People started to see the relationship between nature and theology. From such a combination, artists embarked on painting more than just scenic settings, they began to include symbols and figures of religious values. I think that the point in sublime art is to intrigue and invite the audience to do more than simply observe the painting, the artists want them to feel sucked into the art and sense the sublime of the vast landscapes which take up the canvas. I noticed that in many types of sublime art, if a human figure is present, they are painted to be absolutely minuscule compared to that of the landscape, further supporting the idea how eminent nature is compared to humans.
4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images of his work.
Richard Misrach is an American photographer known for his amazing photos of landscapes. Many of his photographs are taken from high aerial angles in order to reveal human intervention and isolation when interacting with nature.
A lot of Misrach's works consist of photography of vast natural landscapes, such as beaches and deserts those of which emit hollow and empty atmospheres. What we see is great and beautiful, but the way he portrays people as tiny figures in the photographs also gives off a deadly and dangerous feel from such magnificent sites. He's conveying that humans are weak against nature, no matter how much we may interfere or try to manipulate the environment around us, the power of nature is too great to win over. His works also portray his dear appreciation for nature itself. Misrach's works are reminiscent of sublime in the way that he compares the tiny human scale to the divine and colossal landscapes of the world.
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| Untitled, 2005 (detail) Richard Misrach |
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| Swimmers, Pyramid lake - Nevada (1987-93) |
5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.
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| 1840: John Martin, Assuaging of the Waters |
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| 1804: J. M. W. Turner, The Passage of Saint Gothard |
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| 2007: Detroit Bike Blog, A Perfect Storm |
6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?
I truly admire Misrach's skill to be able to capture the emotion and atmosphere with each site he visits. His works are somewhat soothing and relaxing to look at, even if the meaning behind many of them is how we as humans are weak against nature. I like how many of his works depict isolation of a small figure within a vast expanse of land. For me, the sublime and dreamlike emotions they evoke make me remember the moment when I realized after growing up, that the world is much much bigger than I imagined from when I was young.
We see many of his works depicting people alone by themselves on infinite beaches and land, but in the end, I think a message which he is trying to send out to his viewer is that they are not alone in this big globe.
7. Add a Sublime image of your choice to your blog, which can be Art or just a Sublime photograph.
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| 'Tout sourire' - Always smile/Keep smiling. (2008) Artist Unknown. |
Reference List:
Sublime (2011)
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/570785/sublime
Art and the Sublime (updated 2011)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/sublimeincrisis/default.shtm
Jacob, M. (2000). The Enlightenment: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture), Introduction, (p. 3-2) Bedford/St. Martin's
Age of Enlightenment
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Age_of_Enlightenment
Richard Misrach's ominous beach photographs (2008)
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-beach.html
Artist of the week 5 - Richard Misrach (2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LTgxfoHbIE
2 comments:
I agree that Misrach is able to capture the exact emotion and atmosphere for every place he goes to using his camera. And that his works are somewhat soothing and relaxing to look at. They give off a sense of peace, like as if it was taken during one lazy Sunday afternoon.
I really like the feeling you have about Misrash, I agreed that his giving emotion in his pictures, human in a huge world, loneliness....
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