The challenge of the sublime : From Burke's [i]Philosophical Enquiry[/i] to British Romantic art

The challenge of the sublime argues that the unprecedented visual inventiveness of the Romantic period in Britain could be seen as a response to theories of the sublime, more specifically to Edmund Burke’s Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757). While it is widely accepted that the Enquiry contributed to shaping the thematics of terror that became fashionable in British art from the 1770s, this book contends that its influence was of even greater consequence, paradoxically because of Burke’s conviction that the visual arts were incapable of conveying the sublime. His argument that the sublime was beyond the reach of painting, because of the mimetic nature of visual representation, directly or indirectly incited visual artists to explore not just new themes, but also new compositional strategies and even new or undeveloped pictorial and graphic media, such as the panorama, book illustrations and capricci. More significantly, it began to call into question mimetic representational models, causing artists to reflect about the presentation of the unpresentable and the inadequacy of their endeavours, and thus drawing attention to the process of artistic production itself, rather than the finished artwork. By revisiting the links between eighteenth-century aesthetic theory and visual practices, The challenge of the sublime establishes new interdisciplinary connections which address researchers in the fields of art history, cultural studies and aesthetics. Front Matter; Cover; Half Title; Series Information; Title Page; Copyright Page; Contents; Plates; Figures; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I From The Enquiry To The Academy; The Philosophical Enquiry, Theories Of The Sublime And The Sister Arts Tradition; Presenting The Unpresentable: The Modernity Of Burke's Enquiry; Reynolds, The Great Style And The Burkean Sublime; The Sublime Contained: Academic Compromises; Part Ii Beyond The 'narrow Limits Of Painting'; Immersive Spectatorship At The Panorama And The Aesthetics Of The Sublime; Frames, Edges And 'unlimitation' 'sublime Dreams': Ruin Paintings And Architectural Fantasiespart Iii Relocating The Sublime: Blake, Turner And Creative Endeavour; Against And Beyond Burke: Blake's 'sublime Labours'; Turner: From Sublime Association To Sublime Energy; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index; Plates. Hélène Ibata. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web. This book examines the links between the unprecedented visual inventiveness of the Romantic period in Britain and eighteenth-century theories of the sublime. Edmund Burke's Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757), in particular, is shown to have directly or indirectly challenged visual artists to explore not just new themes, but also new compositional strategies and visual media such as panoramas and book illustrations, by arguing that the sublime was beyond the reach of painting. More significantly, it began to call into question mimetic representational models, causing artists to reflect about the presentation of the unpresentable and drawing attention to the process of artistic production itself, rather than the finished artwork. Front matter Contents List of plates List of figures Acknowledgements Introduction Part I From the Enquiry to the Academy The Philosophical Enquiry, theories of the sublime and the sister arts tradition Presenting the unpresentable: the modernity of Burke’s Enquiry Reynolds, the great style and the Burkean sublime The sublime contained: academic compromises Part II Beyond the ‘narrow limits of painting’ Immersive spectatorship at the panorama and the aesthetics of the sublime Frames, edges and ‘unlimitation’ ‘Sublime dreams’: ruin paintings and architectural fantasies Part III Relocating the sublime: Blake, Turner and creative endeavour Against and beyond Burke: Blake’s ‘sublime Labours’ Turner: from sublime association to sublime energy Conclusion Bibliography Index Plates This interdisciplinary study looks at the influence of Edmund Burke's theories of the sublime on British Romantic art, arguing that it is far more significant than previously imagined. -- .