Juan+Chapa's+Sublime+Case+Sudy

**What is the Sublime:**
The Sublime is something that is of massive proportions. It is something that creates a mixture of emotions in us humans such as awe, praise, excitement, ecstacy, and even horror and fear at its grandeur.

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Above are two examples of Johan Sebastian Bach's Tocata & Fugue in D Minor (c. 1705). If Victor Frankenstein ever had theme music for when he created his monster, this would be it. At first, this distinct organ piece reminiscent of an old horror movie with a mad scientist that lives in that creepy castle that always has a dark cloud right over it. This beautiful piece is sublime because it represents a gloomy, rainy day. Its minor scale and high velocity sound recreate millions of raindrops devastating the Earth's surface in a fierce, yet awe-inspiring maelstrom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:El_Greco_View_of_Toledo.jpg Above is //View of Toledo// by the famous Spanish artist El Greco (painted c. 1600). It is an oil on canvas painting. El Greco was famous for creating elongated and somewhat distorted pictures that give the effect of stressing motion in a painting. There are two motions being stretched in this case. The first is that of the leaves of the plants and trees throughout the painting. The second is that of the dark clouds rolling ove the city of Toledo. This painting is sublime because it shows the calm and beauty of nature (i.e. the waterway, the rocks, the mountains, etc.) and it shows an impending storm (which has been explained earlier in the movement of the clouds and wind). It gives the effect of separating the fear and awe instead of feeling them both at the same time. And in the middle of these two very different elements is the shining white city of Toledo.



**Modern examples of the Sublime:**
media type="youtube" key="_AMS3XNK9CU" height="344" width="425" Above is Faith No More's music video Epic (1989). If you didn't already know the definition of sublime, then Faith No More practically explains it through the lyrics of this intense song. Through the special effects of the video, it is obvious that the band is portraying themselves as sublime. Notice how there is a dome of light around them that seems to protect them from the raging storm. The lightning seems to supercharge the instruments while they're playing. It is as if by some magic that they are harnessing nature by playing their emotional rock ballads. The destructive power of nature can be seen in the beginning of the video when it destroys lightbulbs inside of a building. Also notice how the lead singer's t-shirt literally says "sublime" in big green bubble letters.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/akc77/424901254/ Above is a photograph of Sublime Lookout Point in New South Wales Australia (taken 2007). This takes many elements of the sublime and puts them together in one grand spectacle. In other words, this is sublime for many reasons. First off, you get a sense of the nature surrounding the looking point through all the trees in the lower left of the picture. Secondly, it just so happens to be a gloomy and stormy day on the day this photo was taken. As a result, the sky is a very rare deep purple color. Next, it gives a nice focus on the vast ocean that is a mystifying blue and purple which is a reflection of the ghastly storm cloud above it. This is a very scary yet rare spectacle. Finally, in the top part of the picture, it gives a clear horizon in which it shows a sunset. This is a great contrast to the violet and black sky. To give proportions to all these great elements is the tiny city that is right in the middle of all this sublimity. It is truly awe-inspiring.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25080113@N06/2375685196/ Above is a photograph of a massive glacier in Denali Alaska (taken 2008). What is so sublime about this photo is that it portrays a massive chunk of ice that dwarves the surrounding mountain ranges. It even goes up higher than the clouds. On a sunny day like this, it looks like a solid chunk of heaven on earth. 