Buck

=Sublime Case Study=

__**Sublime**__
- A theory and/or attitude toward beauty, nature, and spirituallity marked by a combination of awe/pleasure and terror/fear inspired by natural beauty (usually of a huge, dark, and/or dangerous variety).

The first example is on the front cover of a version of the book __Frankenstein__. The work itself is entitled //Wanderer above the Sea of Fog//, and was painted by Caspar David Friedrich in 1818. Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) was a German Romantic landscape paitner of the 19th century. He primarily focused on scenes of nature, often incorporating a human figure into the scene, but in ways such as to diminish the figure in comparison to the surroundings. His works are therefore an excellent example of sublime, as they aim to draw out the magnificence and overpowerment of nature. In the //Wanderer above the Sea of Fog//, the nature of sublime would lie within the fantastic backround of the painting. Though the figure of the man is not particullarly small in comparison to the rest of the picture, the effect of the painting reduces the figure of the man nontheless, with the immensity of landscape that the painting implies. The fog in the painting obscures most of the scene, and yet if one is to let their imagination wander a little, they might percieve the vast valleys and mountain ranges benathe the misty veil. Overall, the mountains, the mist, and the seemingly endless heavens have a majestic and sublime effect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_David_Friedrich#Landscape_and_the_sublime http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog Other works by Casper David Friedrich: These works show similar effects of diminishing the human figuresby contrasting them to vast and majestic backrounds and landscapes. There is therefore evidence of sublime, especially in the latter painting where the beautifully infinite morning sky over a calm, yet immense, ocean, can inspire awe to the viewer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caspar_David_Friedrich_013.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mondaufgang-am-meer-1822.jpg There were many other artists, in other parts of the world who also portrayed the nature of sublimity through their art work. Such was the case of Hokusai of Japan, in his reknowned art work //The Great Wave of Kanagawa// published in 1832. This woodblock art illustrates sublime through its powerful images of the forces in nature. Standing out most in the picture is the giant wave that looms above the boats caught in the storm, threatening to swallow them into the ocean. Also if one examines the picuture carefully, they will notice Mt. Fuji in the distance. The great mountain of Japan depicted in a way to resemble the terrible waves, reinforces the awesomeness and majesicness of the scene. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa.jpg

More modern images of sublime tend to come in the form of photography. http://www.outdoorbound.com/images/photos/Belize-waterfallNewSite.jpg http://oliviermessiaen.net/galleries/5/Bryce%20Canyon-From%20the%20Canyons%20to%20the%20Stars....jpg These images capture the essence of sublime in the way they are able to portray nature in an looming and overpowering spirit. It is interesting to notice how the picture of the waterfall has a simillar effect to the paintings of Friedrich as they both compare a element of nature to a human figue in such a way that the man is deminished and the force of nature seems more omnipotent than before.