Leah+Malkovich


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

Nature is an ever changing, ever present part of our world. All throughout history, people have been overwhelmed by its beauty. We love to admire the earth and the wonderful sights, sounds, and smells upon it, but hate to think what would happen if these great natural powers, magnificent as they are, turned their power against us as a people.

 There are endless possibilities as to what is sublime in our world. However, the first thought in my mind was that of the mountains. This picture is the epitome of sublime. Not only do we see the beauty of our world, we also see the dangers accompanying such greatness. The stark contrast between the lively green grass and trees, and the cold gray crags of a rock presents us with the distinction between life and death. The clouds serve to frame the mountain; the buildings give us a sense of size and distance. Mountains like these have stood for thousands of years, they are permanent. It takes something like this picture to remind us of both our mortality, and our lack of power in the world around us.

Painted by David Caspar Friedrich in 1822, //The Solitary Tree// touches on another part of our fear in the world: the fear of being alone. This tree is all by itself. In the background we see the huge, formidable mountains, unwelcoming and unfriendly. A little closer we see other trees, all bathed in the golden light from the sun. Closer yet is a field, cutting off our tree from the rest. Finally, there is our tree, with a small pond in the front. The tree, all alone, is dwarfed by the splendors of nature: both terrible and beautiful at once. //The Solitary Tree// illustrates our small place in the vast expanse of nature’s glories.

To me, this is a photograph of far more terror than glory. I myself have been to Niagara Falls, and know the true fear felt when approaching those magnificent works of nature. The tons of water, rushing over the edge every second speak of the power the earth has over us. One false step and you are at the mercy of God himself. The picture in itself is beautiful. The rising spray engulfs the center of the falls, and threatens to consume the boat if it comes too close. The swirling waters and cloudy blue sky mirror each other, and bring the attention back to the subject of the picture. Even the rocks add an element of sculptural beauty, despite their threatening appearance. Nature has many forms, and this photo shows one of the finest.

Lightning: one of the most powerful natural forces in the world. It is the embodiment of a “terrible beauty.” Lightning is completely unpredictable. It could strike anywhere, anytime. Only the use of lightning rods in more recent years has saved us from great harm. Its sheer power, caused by the size and capabilities of a single bolt has caused humans to fear and respect nature’s work. Yet, in our characteristically unpredictable way, millions of people (myself included) enjoy watching lightning storms. It’s amazing to see lightning strike again and again—accompanied by deep rolls of thunder—always knowing that the storm could switch directions at any moment, and put you as the viewer, in danger. This photo shows the grand scope of lightning’s power, bigger than all else around it. The lightning breaks through the darkness to expose the Columbia River below, and the billowy storm clouds above. The seemingly random branches show the expansive reaches of this phenomenon. Lightning is one of the forces in nature which we will never fully understand, despite our great advances thus far.

media type="youtube" key="YAOTCtW9v0M" height="344" width="425" ( Note: this is only a short portion of the entire symphony) Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is known to many as one of his best works of all time. This piece, completed in 1824, is a beautiful musical interpretation of the sublime. This piece starts out dark, and midway through crescendo, transitions to a happier mood. Beethoven does an excellent job of switching between more sinister themes to those which convey a sense of light happiness. One might imagine some sort of storm building and growing, until it is suddenly broken by a ray of sunshine, turning the scene into one of awe, rather than fear. The mystery to me is how a composer can arrange notes so brilliantly, changing them from simple marks on a page, into vivid images in ones’ head.

Batiken, Uschi. //Eagle Nest on the Top of a Majestic Mountain - Gschöllkopf// /‌ //Rofan, Tyrol Austria//. N.d. //Flickr//. Yahoo! Inc, 27 Nov. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2009. []. Beethoven, Ludwig Van. Symphony no.9 molto vivace. 1824. Musical composition. Friedrich, Caspar David. //The Solitary Tree//. 1822. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. //National Gallery of Art, Washington DC//. Web. 12 Dec. 2009. []. //Horseshoe Falls//. N.d. //Cocoon//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2009. []. //Lightning on the Columbia River//. N.d. //Flickr//. Yahoo! Inc, 17 Aug. 2007. Web. 12 Dec. 2009. [].
 * Works Cited**