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The
Shipwreck (detail)
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In
a 1757 essay on aesthetics, English philosopher Edmund Burke described
"the sublime" in art. For Burke, a sublime landscape communicated
the awesome power of nature, whether through storm, fire, or other
natural disaster, and the misfortune it caused. A sublime work like
Shipwreck would both thrill and terrorize the viewer, all from
a safe distance. |