The Sublime – Melissa Merritt

mickyates Art, Critical Theory, Ideas, Mick's Photo Blog, Philosophy, Photography Leave a Comment

In the world of art and photography, I have long had an interest in the concept of ‘the sublime’. For Burke, the sublime was an experience of shock and awe; for Kant, the sublime revealed a reality that is fundamentally indeterminate, undecidable and unpresentable. He said ‘We call sublime that which is absolutely great’; and for Schiller, the sublime is …

On the Sublime

mickyates Aesthetics, Art, Critical Theory, Genocide, Holocaust, Ideas, Landscape, Media Theory, Mick's Photo Blog, Photography, Post-Modern Leave a Comment

The Sublime has long held fascination for me, as it applies to both landscapes and The Holocaust / Genocide. Adorno suggested that after Auschwitz, the Sublime is associated with images of genocide and atrocity. He also suggested that after Auschwitz, art is not possible. But that is another story. An excellent reader is Simon Morley’s volume The Sublime (2010) with a …