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Describe the term Sublime, Illustrating your definition through reference to the work of Two of these artists; Turner, Martin, de Loutherbourg, Danby, Ward. The Sublime is a term that has had several meanings over a period of time. The earlier usage would have been to describe very emotional scenes, depicting romance, love and glory. Later Sublime was used to mean deep thought provoking paintings of power, mans subordination to the powers of nature and dark emotions. This later meaning of the word is the one to which I will compare Turner and Martin s work. Turner s early work was more accessible than his later, almost abstract work, however the work during his later years would possibly be easiest to find the elements of the Sublime, One prominent painting, which exemplifies this theory is Hannibal and his army crossing the Alps, exh. 1812, this painting has a great deal of dark emotions running through it.
The small area along the bottom depicting Hannibles army raping, murdering and torturing many people. The painting also shows the other element of the Sublime, mans subordination to nature. The way Turner has shown this is the way he has used space on the canvas, the human element of the painting being a relatively small area, compared with the raging storm over head. This symbolizes that no matter how powerful the army may be, nature is always more powerful. The choice of colours is also symbolist of the emotions with dark greys, and blacks, with red and orange across the bottom showing the blood spilt. Turner also used the theme of mans subordination to nature many times, such as in Shipwreck, exh. 1805 in this painting he uses the layout of the boats, bringing the spectator into the painting, with this in mind, using the sail he creates an agitated lozenge, where it seems as though the sea is really moving.
The life boat is shown with a pale sail in an almost monochromatic background and although it is trying to save the fishermen it is being drawn into the waves, and is having trouble remaining stable. Martin however was more interested in the dark emotions than the part nature played. He mainly chose to paint religious themes, this was probably due to his strongly religious and moralistic upbringing. One such example of his portrayal of the Sublime in a deeply religious context is The fallen Angels Entering Pandemonium, from Paradise Lost, Book 1 exh. 1841 this picture is a landscape with the figures only tiny and insignificant, this is common in Martins work, like Turner, yet martin s landscape are always more fantasy than reality, rather than Turner s love of observational drawing. This paintings colours are intensely significant, the reds, oranges and deep purples symbolizing the rebellion and dark theme of the painting. The Great day of his wrath, 1851 - 3 is another powerful landscape, with the figures, less important than the great expanses of rock and fire.
The lightning in the top corner and the falling rocks are to symbolism gods power, and the dark emotions are the theme again as an evil act must take place before such vengeance is taken. Many of martin s work was reproduced as etchings, these being black and white intensify the drama of the scenes, showing evilness and darkness, which is not matched by Turner s work. Martins depth of religion was put across in his paintings, This Sublime approach would have been approved of at the time due to there moralistic character and portrayal of hell. The two artists chosen, Turner and Martin exemplify the given meaning of Sublime each taking preference to different approaches, Turner creating awesome paintings of mans subordination to nature, and Martin, and his religious themes being ideal for the dark emotional side.
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Research essay sample on Mans Subordination To Nature Subordination To Nature Turner
