I have decided to centre my essay around the theme of beauty and the sublime. I was inspired to write about this specifically through reading 'Photography: the key concepts'.
"The development of the concept of the sublime as an aesthetic quality in nature distinct from beauty was first brought into prominence in the 18th century in the writings of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, third earl of Shaftesbury and John Dennis, in expressing an appreciation of the fearful and irregular forms of external nature, and Joseph Addison's synthesis of concepts of the sublime in his The Spectator, and later the Pleasures of the Imagination. All three Englishmen had, within the span of several years, made the journey across the Alps and commented in their writings of the horrors and harmony of the experience, expressing a contrast of aesthetic qualities."
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| Casper David Friedrich "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" "1818 |
Friedrich choses to base his landscapes solely on locations in Northern Germany where there are beautiful scenes of scenic trees, hills, harbors, as well as different and atmospheric lighting conditions like misty mornings and other light effects based on a close observation of nature. “Some of Friedrich's best-known paintings are expressions of a religious mysticism."
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| Ansel Adams "Autumn Moon, the High Sierra from Glacier Point" 1948 |
"Ansel Adams was a visionary figure in nature photography and wilderness preservation. He is seen as an environmental folk hero and a symbol of the American West, especially of Yosemite National Park. Adams' dedication to wilderness preservation, his commitment to the Sierra Club, and of course, his signature black-and-white photographs inspire an appreciation for natural beauty and a strong conservation ethic."
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