Minami-Sublime

=The Sublime Case Study=

Ryosuke Minami
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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).

The first painting shows a town at the bottom, but the real focus of the painting are the mountains in the background. These mountains tower over the town and make the town seem small and insignificant. Also, the town is completely at the mercy of any natural disasters from the mountain like mudslides. The subject of the second painting, as the title "A Scene from The Last of the Mohicans" implies, is the figures in the center. But the background takes the attention away from the subject and to the vast forest and mountain range spreading around them. They are nothing compared to the beautiful nature around them. The photographs portray the same idea. Mt. Everest is shown in the first picture, and it’s clear that the mountain is enormous. One cannot help but stand in awe as they stand before the world’s tallest mountain. No wonder so many people are inspired to risk their lives and climb to the top of this natural tower. The next photo is a scientist observing a volcano, witnessing the frightening fury of nature. The lava could easily engulf the scientist if they step too close. Nature shows its terrible power when a group of penguins stand on a chunk of ice as the sea around them eats away at the ice. They are completely at the mercy of the waves and currents, but at the same time, one cannot help but notice the beauty of the waves. A cluster of trees stand in the middle of a forest, unchanged by humanity. Trees like this are becoming increasingly rare as humans conquer the forests, but when you look at a tree like this, you see how firmly this tree is keeping a grip on its surroundings, unwilling to let go. A mountain range covered in snow is so high that it reaches up to the clouds. Very few manmade objects tower this high, and none of them are colossal like the Himalaya Mountains. An adventurous hiker challenges the staggering heights of nature. This volcanic mountain must frightening for anyone who steps on its rocks. Icebergs float around, large enough to tower over any manmade ship. Remember that icebergs are capable of tearing through solid iron, a famous example being the hull of the "unsinkable" Titanic. A boulder is held up only by a small platform of rock. It seems like it could fall over any minute, yet it hangs on. Another iceberg peacefully floating around. Waterfalls flow powerfully, carving away layers of rock with ease. Boulders in the Grand Canyon are carved into shapes by rivers over millions of years. Beauty that exists only in the natural world. Giant icicles hang from the sides of mountains. These are nothing like the icicles you see around Illinois. The stream of water that rushed down the mountainside was captured instantly by the cold. Next is a vast landscape, the kind of beauty that only nature can provide. Day and night mix to form this lovely shade of violet that lasts for only minutes. The aerial shot captures strangely shaped islands. Most people only notice the beauty, but imagine the violent volcanic explosions that must have formed and shaped these islands. Lightning strikes, with an amount of electricity that can destroy buildings and blast trees apart. Lightning is beautiful, but it's hard to appreciate its beauty because it disappears within a fraction of a second. Now for a few pictures from outer space. Looking from beyond the Earth's atmosphere, it’s obvious that even though we have built many grand cities, they barely show from up there. Nature is what rules this world, and it's virtually impossible to overthrow this ancient power. These pictures make it clear that we really have no control over the nature.

The music is the theme song from E.T. It's the music that is playing during the famous scene where Elliot's bicycle flies above the trees and across the moon. This music reminds me of that scene, and the enormous forest that appears then. It goes along with the pictures beautifully, which is the main reason I chose it.

Paintings: Bonneville, Savoy, with Mont Blanc by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1803). Landscape with Figures: A Scene from The Last of the Mohicans by Thomas Cole (1826).

All of the photographs are from the National Geographic website.

Music: "Flying Theme" from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Conducted by John Williams and played by the London Symphony Orchestra.

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