In the chapter of Robertson and McDaniel's "Themes of Contemporary Art" concerning Spirituality, the concept of the Sublime is mentioned to play an important role in spiritual art in multiple time periods. In the 1700s, it was explored by Edmund Burke, whose idea of it is described by Robertson and McDaniel as "a feeling that combines a sense of awe, horror, and supreme aesthetic pleasure. The term the sublime began to be used for any experience that induced awe or terror, overwhelming the mind and senses... When the concept was attached to nature, the sublime described an awed reaction to viewing mountain vistas, vast oceans, extraordinary thunderstorms, blizzards, magnificent sunsets, and the like" (Robertson and McDaniel 279). We come to understand the sublime as this overwhelming emotional reaction to particularly striking natural phenomena, an encounter with nature so beautiful that it is as if you are seeing God through his construction of the world. It is no surprise, considering this, that the idea of the sublime experience helped shape thought in the American Transcendentalism of the nineteenth century, such as the idea of "nature... as closer to God than more civilized places" (Robertson and McDaniel 280).
Of course, if an experience like the sublime is believed in, then ambitious artists would take it upon themselves to try and master evoking such a powerful emotion with their work. "Some artists who were making completely abstract works were on a quest to see if art could inspire a transcendental state akin to the sublime feeling that nature could inspire. They hoped that viewers would experience a spiritual revelation or, at least, a deeply meditative feeling while gazing at abstract surfaces or forms" (Robertson and McDaniel 280). The sublime, we know, was deeply linked with impressive natural structures. Why, then, would artists not try to evoke it by depicting natural formations that were sure to evoke it. It is either an acknowledgement of an inability to effectively recreate the religiously overwhelming experience of viewing God's work as an artist's work or it is a desire to surpass God (or at least to equal him) by evoking as an artist what God can, but without his assistance or influence; the artist's hand equaling God's hand. This idea of an overwhelming spiritual experience without the presence of a divine deity is progressively optimistic. It is filled with ambition for a new order for the future without the return to the ancient ideas of God as the sole source of the divine. This ambition is much like, or simply is, the ambition to become Nietzsche's Overman, the new ideal being, this time human, that man is to strive towards becoming in the wake of the end of God's role in our world. For without belief in God, whose existence was the belief in otherworldly values, there is no belief in a meaning to life, and a new source of values must be instated, lest we return to animals. In this art, there is an idea of man at least being equal to God, and in that, God being unnecessary.
"It is either an acknowledgement of an inability to effectively recreate the religiously overwhelming experience of viewing God's work as an artist's work or it is a desire to surpass God (or at least to equal him) by evoking as an artist what God can, but without his assistance or influence; the artist's hand equaling God's hand." (Ethan)
ReplyDeleteI think artists can only experience the sublime in painting by being open to the innate spirituality of the painting process. Yes, painting is an act of creation, and I think artists paint to feel connected to God and life. God is after all the creator of life. Painting has so much history and tradition behind it. When I paint, I know that I am smelling turpentine, the same scent that Michelangelo smelled. I am entering into an activity with a rich history and cultural identity. The act of painting also makes me feel in tune with God. God is a creator, and each painting is also a creation. Every painting is in tribute to God, God's life, and God's creation. For me, painting requires listening and being open to possibilities, that inspiration will come, being in harmony with the spiritual, the intuitive, and trusting that something new and worthwhile can be created though I cannot foresee the outcome.
But there are many different approaches to painting, I suppose. An artist might choose to paint a beautiful scene simply as a painting study. They might paint it because they want to remember the sublime moment they experienced. They may not be concerned with matching it, though. That seems pretty lofty and irrational to me. I think most people understand that the impact of experiencing a real sunrise and looking at a photograph or painting of a sunrise are quite different.