"Untitled" Richard Misrach 2002
Richard Misrach's photography reflects the concept of the Sublime, from the Enlightenment.
Research Misrach's work by reading about his intentions, and also by looking at the work. Then answer the following questions;
1. What and when was the Enlightenment?
2. Define the concept of the Sublime.
3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?
4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images.
5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.
6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?
7. Add a Sublime image of your choice to your blog, which can be Art or just a Sublime photograph.
Monolake 2, California (1999) Richard Misrach
1. What and when was the Enlightenment?
ReplyDeleteThe enlightenment was generally described as taken place in the 18th century and mainly centered in France. The enlightenment was an intellectual movement concerning god, reason, man and nature and had a major influence in the ways of thinking in Western Europe at that time. The values and ideas of the enlightenment were very similar to the renaissance. This also had a major influence on western visual culture. The enlightenments key ideas were emerged to challenge the existing worldwide traditional views, which were dominated By Christianity.
2. Define the concept of the Sublime.
Sublime is the quality of greatness or enormous size, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic. The term especially refers to greatness in which nothing else can be compared and which is beyond all prospects.
3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?
When faced with the sublime, the viewer will experience some kind understanding of imagination. At the same time, as an aesthetic experience (in art rather than reality) the sublime allowed for the thrill of danger without its real consequences. This was hugely popular across Europe. This came out of the enlightenment when in this era landscape art wasn’t popular as Christianity dominated and religious paintings were more important. It wasn’t until around the 19th century that landscaped art became popular as artists wanted to show the “beauty of nature” and this is when sublime emerged and was accepted.
4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images.
The subject mater surrounding Misrach’s work mainly consists of the tranquility of various landscapes, which he primarily focuses on. Misrach’s style makes the landscape seem somewhat the greatest place on earth and this defines the sublime well. He also gives look or aesthetic of the landscape well by using clear crystal shot photography.
5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.
Mark Rothko, Yves Klein, James Turrell, Caspar David Friedrich, J.M.W. Turner
6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?
Misrachs photography gives me the feeling of freeness, and that the world is a beautiful place. It appeals to my imagination as the colors and tones he uses makes the place look unreal. In my opinion his work excels in defining the sublime.
7. Add a Sublime image of your choice to your blog, which can be Art or just a Sublime photograph.
References -
http://www.openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php%3Fid%3D2090+sublime+enlightenment&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz
http://www.edelmangallery.com/misrach.htm+Richard+Misrach&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublime_(philosophy)
http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2001/07/07/28819.html
Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry Into The Origin Of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, London, 1757, in Collected Works, T.W. Copeland, ed. London: 1865-1867
Wilhelm Wackenroder and Ludwig Tieck, Outpourings of an Art-Loving Friar (Dresden, 1797). English ed. trans. By Edward Mornin. (New York: frederick Ungar, 1975), p. 59. Wackenroder inis the author of the essay "Of two Wonderful Languages and Their Mysterious Power."