Landscape and Sublime

'Wanderer in the mists' (1818) Caspar David Friedrich

'Untitled #2" (2002) Richard Misrach

 'Untitled # 394-03' (2003) Richard Misrach

1. What and when was the Enlightenment?

The Elightenment was an era in Western philosophy during the 17th and 18th century where there was a 

rejection of traditional social, religious, and political ideas and an emphasis on rationalism. Also known as the "Age of Reason", it led to the arguement that human life and character could be improved through the use of education and logic.

2. Define the concept of the Sublime.

Sublime is defined as "the quality of greatness or vast magnitude, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic"  So something which is of great power which you are able to see in landscape paintings.

3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?

Before the Enlightenment era, landscape paintings were not important and were only seen in the background, unlike religious paintings which were the main focus of artwork at that time. However during the Enlightenment, artists wanted to show off the beauty of the nature and it wasn't until the beginning of this era that more landscape painting were being produced to create sublime setting artwork.

4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images of his work.

Richard Misrach likes to capture the relationship between man and the landscape in his artwork. In "Untitiled #2" (2002) he uses a birds-eye type viewpoint to capture the vastness and the Sublime element in his work. As you can see there is a lone person standing by the waters edge on the beach. This gives a feeling of isolation and vulnerability for the man standing alone against the power of nature, because even though the water looks beautiful in all its glory there is also a hidden threatening element to it. The huge and rippling ocean in "Untitled #394-03" (2003) shows two people swimming, which again shows the insignificance of humans against its magnificent beauty.

"Waiting, Edward's Air Force Base, California" (1983)

"The Santa Fe"(1982)

5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.

J.W.T "Chichester Canal" (1828)


Joseph William Turner was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker during the Elightenment Era. He is regarded as one of the artist who elevated landscape paintings during a time when religious and historical paintings were the only paintings of importance. Due to his style he is also known as "the painter of light" and his work regarded as a "Romantic preface to Impressionism."



Mariele Neudecker "Unrecallable Now" (1998-2001)


Mariele Neudecker is a German Artist who works with landscape sculptures and video installations which are used to submerge her viewers inside the sublime. Her work is "attempting to challenge conventional ways of seeing and re-considers the dichotomy between nature and culture"


6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?
 I see the beauty and power of nature in Misrarch's photography and it gives me a sense of awe and respect for the world around me. This appeals to me as it shows me that a great piece if artwork can be made just by catching the elements of nature and the details within it. His work shows me how to work with space and surrounding area around us.

Building from "Half Life 2"

http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/thenineteenthcentury/a/enlightenment.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_The_Enlightenment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublime_(philosophy)
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/paintings/galleries/further/essay/romance/index.html
http://www.vincentborrelli.com/cgi-bin/vbb/105104
http://www.artnet.com/usernet/awc/awc_workdetail.asp?aid=424216474&gid=424216474&cid=157764&wid=424331219&page=1
http://www.formatnetwork.com/mariele/neudecker.htm
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662156/glitches-turn-video-games-into-sublime-art

The social status of the artist.

Self Portrait in Fur Coat (1500)

Albrecht Durer

Knob (1997) Gavin Turk

Damien Hirst and Maia Norman (1995)

1. Identify aspects of Durer's self portrait that show a changing view of the artist's view of himself as

an individual.

In this self portrait Durer has given himself a Christ-like and almost godly appearance by his beard and long dark hair. It almost looks as if he glowing, which is emphasized by the dark, gloomy background. Although, Durer has depicted himself in the image of Jesus, it was meant to be an acknowledgement that Christ and man are God's creations. Therefore, the artistic talent is ultimately derived from God.

2. Explain how the artist's social status increased during the Renaissance period. Briefly explain why this happened.

Innovating the Artistic Life
Traditionally, artists were thought of a lower social role of craftspeople, however during the Renaissance period, there was a cultural movement that affected European's intellectual life. During this period, there was a revival of the arts and a new breed of thinking which put art in a different light. "The Renaissance was an important time for artists. They developed new techniques and skills. Soon people began to admire their artistry as well as the subject of the artwork. By the late Renaissance, artists were no longer thought of as tradesmen. A master artist could become a highly respected member of the community. He could dictate his own terms in his work and enjoy a much higher social status than a mere craftsman. And superstar artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo became famous throughout Europe, helping create the modern image of the artist as an independent creative genius."

3. Comment on Gavin Turk's work in relation to individualism, status of the artist and egotism.

Gavin Turk's work clearly shows individualism which is also related to the status he posseses and egotism. He is so confident of his social position that by merely using his name, he believes people will instantly be interested in that piece of work. Individualism is evident through this work as it relates to his "moral worth of an individual" and his stylized type of work which is "full of wit and referential humour, cunningly done through paraphrasing already well-known works of art from the recent past."

4. Comment on Damien Hirst's use of his work and the media for self promotion.

Hirst uses strong themes of death and life in his artwork. He became famous for using dead animals and preserving them in formaldehyde as it is a controversial and shocking topic. In the image above containing himself and his girlfriend; Maia Norman, he gained alot of exposure by using her to model his new piece of artwork as she is well known fashion designer.

5. Find 2 images of work by artists or designers that reflects some of the ideas of individualism,

self promotion or egotism that have been discussed on this blog. Upload images to your blog, title and date the work, identify the artist/designer and comment on the work in relation to the question.

Ghost Sheep (2001)

 Angela Singer is an artist from England, who now lives and studies in New Zealand, who makes artwork purely out of dead animals. This shows her individualism and self promotion as she is an animal rights activist and raises controversial issues about live animal dissection. Singer states “These carcasses highlight how grotesque natural beauty can become after suffering at the hands of humanity.”

No. 5 (1948)

Jackson Pollock was a very influential artisit and was an abstract expressionist artist. He used many techniques and liked to let the paint flow onto the canvas in its natural direction. "In 1956, Time magazine dubbed Pollock "Jack the Dripper" as a result of his unique painting style." Individualsim can be seen though his style and his different methods of creating artwork by straying away from conventional artist tools.

6. How do you think artists and designers are viewed in Western society today?

There is a lot people can do with art nowadays. Artists with a unique style, have great creativity and possess skill are highly respected compared to what they were before. Nevertheless, it is still usually about who you know, and the status you possess to get you recognised.

Reference the websites and/or books you have used, at the end of your blog.

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/D/durer.html

http://www.renaissanceconnection.org/artistslife.html

http://www.42explore2.com/renaissance.htm

http://nicholasspyer.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/how-to-impersonate-elvis-che-guevara-andy-warhol-and-sid-vicious-the-art-of-gavin-turk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individualism

http://artculture.com/featured/controversial-art-showcase

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock