Joseph's+Sublime+Case+Study


 * Sublime**—a theory and/or attitude toward beauty, nature, and spirituality marked by a combination of awe/pleasure and terror/fear inspired by natural beauty (usually of a huge, dark, and/or dangerous variety). This theory is present and on full display in many works of visual and literary arts, and even various pieces of music.

//Outbreak of Vesuvius// Johan Christian Claussen Dahl (1788-1857)  In this painting the scene shown is that of Mount Vesuvius erupting. This scene though beautiful with the illustration of plumes of smoke rising and the molten lava beginning to flow out from the earth is simultaneously deadly. The people in this painting are minuscule and are really almost an afterthought in comparison to the volcanic eruption. In this painting they are at the mercy of the volcano. The theme of sublime in this painting goes along the same lines that humans are subject to the will of nature.

//Twilight in the Wilderness// Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900)  The wilderness is described as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. This painting of the wilderness by Church captures the image perfectly. The scene depicted is beautiful and seemingly untouched and undisturbed by man. It captures the essence of sublime perfectly. This is because even though the picturesque scene with its lush forests projects a pristine and pretty setting, reality suggests otherwise. Being stranded out in the wilderness by yourself no matter how beautiful it is, is quite dangerous. The fact that no humans were included in the scene seems to suggest that nature thrives with or without humans.

//Man attempting to scale Mount Everest// Unknown photographer  This photo of a man trying to ascend Mt. Everest is in a way symbolic of man's attempt to conquer nature. In both cases many have tried and failed. For example Victor Frankenstein tries to and instead brings into the world the creature, while unfortunately many those who have failed in their attempts to climb Mt. Everest have perished. Mount Everest is beautiful yet so dangerous claiming many lives of those willing to risk it all to climb it, thus summing up sublime perfectly. A natural beauty that is wrought with danger and not a laughing matter in any way shape or form.

//Brine channels at the base of East Flower Garden Bank in the Gulf of Mexico// Natural Marine Sanctuaries (2000)  This is a photo of an underwater lake. This unbelievable find is not only seemingly magical, it is also sublime. Humans have explored more of space then they have the deep sea, and because of that it gives the deep even more of a mystique and aura of mysteriousness. The underwater lake is actually a brine pool and is a result of salt tectonics. This photo is sublime because the conditions of the deep sea aren't the most accommodating. The pressure that organisms must withstand is enormous and at about the depth of 200 meters sunlight can longer provide energy through photosynthesis. Under these conditions no human could possibly survive. An underwater lake with its very own ecosystem under these dark/gloomy yet mysteriously beautiful is only possible through the wondrous powers of nature.

//Lighting during a severe thunderstorm over Essex// David Wilkes  This photo is of a fantastic lightning storm. The purple-ish backdrop is notable because purple is considered by many to be a color of royalty, this could suggest that nature is royal. This theory in only backed up when you realize that nature indeed rules over us. One other thing suggesting that nature is our superior is that the city below appears small in comparison to the stormy skies above. One thing humans for sure cannot control is weather, a task that is dwarfed in comparison to the task of trying to control nature in it's entirety. This photo is indicative of that humans are at the mercy of nature when it comes to things like this.

media type="youtube" key="BWerj8FcprM" height="344" width="425" //Piano Concerto no. 1 in b flat minor// This concerto begins with bang, displaying lots of power and grandiose. But as the piece progresses it continues on to become more peaceful sounding and graceful while at the same time keeping the deep and elegant/regal feel. This piece is an example of sublime because the concerto's dynamics and musical set-up reflects many of the same characteristics that make nature sublime. The height of the concerto's crescendos especially like that of the opening of the song are reminiscent of the power and dominance nature has over our lives. The piece throws different turns at you throughout the song, for example in the second half the range of notes expands as the composition's note selection utilizes basically the entire musical repertoire the piano has to offer. The aforementioned part of Tchaikovsky's concerto depicts nature's unpredictability, while at the same time showing nature's grace and beauty. This point goes along with the philosophy of sublime because while nature is beautiful and awe striking it is unpredictable and humans are not meant to control it.
 * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky**