The Sublime, by Dr Kit Messham-Muir

I'm teaching the first year art theory Modernism course at the University of Newcastle. For the lecture in week 3, I discussed the idea of 'the sublime' and how it influenced many romanticist painters in the early nineteenth century, such as JMW Turner and Casper David Friedrich. In their paintings we frequently see idea of the sublime in relation to human vs. nature, with nature inevitably overpowering the hubris of humankind.

The sublime was a strong theme in Romanticism because it was a reponse to the burgeoning of modernity -- reminding us that we might try to tame nature with technology, but ultimately nature is more powerful. It's basically a moral point these artists are making.

Anyway, the important thing about experiences of the sublime is that they combine fear/awe/exhilaration together at the same moment, in which you mind is robbed of its capacity to think. I wanted to give the students a practical demonstration of this to show in the lecture.

So, I made this video.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• The Sublime
• Kit Messham-Muir
• Edmund Burke
• University of Newcastle
• skydive
• Wollongong

[illadorningfall]

Congrats on the spot on NBN news! Oh, and that teaching award too, I guess. I was in the class, you deserved it.

[kitmm]

@illadorningfall

Hey, thanks for telling me! I had *no idea* that it had been on NBN News! Anyway, I've just downloaded it from their website and posted it on YouTube as well.

Thanks so much for that.

:D

[illadorningfall]

No worries doc. And I realised my sarcasm earlier might've been hard to pick up on. I do genuinely think you deserved the award. You really enjoyed teaching and it showed. Well that was my impression anywhooo. So thank you! :)

[kitmm]

@illadorningfall

Thanks... I do love teaching. I mean, my dad worked his whole life on a production line in a factory making cars. I feel pretty lucky doing what I do for a living.

[jsemay]

AMAZING :)))

[doodlesxlove]

Haha! Ending was funny- this is a great video to watch. Thanks!

[SweetSnow123]

thanx 4 this, am studying about burke's idea of the sublime!

[Messham251268]

Sublime