Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky was born February 22, 1955 and is a Canadian photographer and artist known for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes. His works depict locations from around the world that represent the increasing development of industrialization and its impacts on nature and the human existence. It is most often connected to the philosophical concept of the sublime, a trait established by the grand scale of the work he creates, though they are equally disturbing in the way they reveal the context of rapid industrialization.

His work

He often positions himself at high-vantage points over the landscape using elevated platforms, the natural topography, and more currently drones, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

Edward Burtynsky took this image of litter to present the theme of Anthropocene and to show the negative effect humans are having on the earth.

He took this picture of people building different buildings, to present industrialisation and the negative impact it is having on the earth. He also liked the sublime theme, and I think this image presents how industrialisation is negatively effecting the natural landscape and the sublime.

This photo of his shows industrialisation and over population, as it is of many houses in one area. These houses have taken up the natural environment.

This image also shows industrialisation and its negative impact on the earth.

This image shows how much waste humans produce, and how there is no where to put all this waste except landfills, which mostly end up being dumped in the sea, which causes sea pollution and the lives of many animals.

How does this work relate to the theme of Anthropocene?

Edward Burkynsky work relates to the theme of Anthropocene, because his images present many different signs/ causes for Anthropocene, such as his photographs on;

• Litter
• Over population
• Industrialisation

These are themes of Anthropocene, because littering causes water pollution and the death of many sea and land animals. Over population also harms our earth, because there are not enough recourses on earth to support the whole population. Industrialisation also uses up lots of the earth recourses and ruins our earth’s natural environments.

What interests me about his work?

I am interested in his work, because I think he presents the theme of Anthropocene very well and presents many different causes and themes of Anthropocene. I am also interested in the way he takes his photographs from a high up birds eye angle and I would love to try and recreate this in my photoshoots.

Why have I chosen this artist?

I have chosen this artist, because he has taken photos of the different themes of Anthropocene, such as industrialisation, litter and over population, which are the themes that I am most interested in and have the best ideas for my photoshoots. I also feel very strongly about littering, as I live right next to Harve de Pas beach and a cemetery, and I always come across litter, while I am out walking my dogs. My mum also does things to help prevent littering, such as going through the cemetery with the dogs and picking up rubbish, and putting it in our bin.

I also think I would be able to try and recreate many of his photographs, such as his more simple industrial photographs and his photographs of litter. I also want to try and recreate the way he took his photographs, by trying to get higher up above what I’m taking pictures of. I want to do this especially when I look into the theme of over population.

What I am going to do in response to his work?

This is the main image I would like to try and recreate of his, because it shows a massive amount of litter just dumped in waste lands, because there is no where else to put it all. I also like how the litter takes up the full frame, so it is all that can be seen, because I think this makes the message in the image much more powerful. I also like how he has taken this in a birds eye view, because it is the best angle for this type of image. In response to this image and his work I am also going to try and obtain this birds eye view angle for my images.

In response to the main themes he has done, which is litter and industrialisation, I am going to focus on the same main themes.

Barry Rosenthal

Rosenthal was born in The Bronx in 1948 and is a New York based photographer, who shoots colour and black and white photographs. She collects discarded plastic objects and takes images of them collected together and laid out into a more eye pleasing way.

Her Work

These photos of Barry Rosenthal’s display the amount of discarded plastic that is being dumped/ littered all over the world, because plastic is non-biodegradable and takes many many years to break down. This means there is not a quick and easy way to break down the plastic, so there is no where to keep the billions of pieces of plastic, so it just ends up in the ocean, or littered on the street etc. These images shows the masses of discarded plastic that she has found and shows how much of a large negative impact it is having on the earth. Not only is she displaying this negative impact plastic has, she is displaying it in an artistic beautiful way. She is colour coordinating the plastics and setting them up in different patterns, so these images will catch the viewers eye, before they even realise it is all discarded plastic. I think she has done this, so she can spread greater awareness to Anthropocene.

How does this work relate to the theme of Anthropocene?

Her work relates to the theme of Anthropocene, because it presents how many discarded materials there are, especially plastic, because it is not bio degradable, so it stays littered on the streets for years. This relates to the theme of Anthropocene, because this litter and plastics have a huge negative impact on the earth and the wild life, because they are eating this plastic, or getting choked by it, such as plastic beer can holders, which get wrapped around birds necks etc. Animals are eating this plastic, especially birds, because they do not have very good eye sight, so they think the plastic is fish/ plankton.

What interests me about her work?

Her work interests me, because she is spreading awareness in a beautiful artistic way and knows how to capture the viewers eye, before they even realise it is all pictures of discarded plastic. Another reason her work interests me, because it enlightens people, including myself, into how much plastic is actually littered and discarded.

I also love how she creates patterns and colour coordinates her work, to make it more artistic.

Why have I chosen this artist?

I have chosen this artist, because I feel like I could replicate some of her work very well, but in my own way, by creating different patterns and using different colours. I have also chosen this artist, because to be able to replicate her work and use her for inspiration, I will be helping the earth, because I have to go round and collect discarded plastics. This means that less animals will be getting killed by these plastics, even though I am only making a small difference.

What am I going to do in response to her work?

In response to her work, I am going to try and replicate her work using different discarded plastics I have found. However, I want to replicate her work in my own way, by using different colour schemes and creating different patterns.

I am going to go to the beach (Harve de pas) and the cemetery near my house to collect my discarded plastics, because there is always lots and lots of litter there. Many people also go along the beach and ‘clean up the beach,’ so I will ask to use their discarded plastics that they have collected also.

John Divola

John Divola (born 1949) is an American contemporary visual artist and educator, living in Riverside, California. He works in photography, describing himself as exploring the landscape by looking for the edge between the abstract and the specific. He is a professor in the art department at University of California Riverside. John Divola is most well known for his photographs of abandoned buildings.

His work

He usually takes photos of abandoned houses on beaches, to show how materials in and used to build the house have just been abandoned and left on the shore line, for animals to live near or inside, which may cause them harm, if they eat the materials, or if the different materials get washed away in the shore, which will cause more pollution.

However, he doesn’t always take images of abandoned houses on the beach, but he takes pictures of abandoned houses all over, because these abandoned materials effect wild life all over the world.

How does this work relate to the theme of Anthropocene?

His work relates to the theme of Anthropocene, because he presents large materials, such as items inside the abandoned houses, such as furniture, as well as the materials used to build the house, which are wearing down and abandoned. These materials are then abandoned and left for different animals to explore, which then may cause death to them if they eat, or get stuck in them. These materials also take years to decompose, so they are just left there for years and years.

What interests me about his work?

I am interested in his work, because he shows a different side to Anthropocene, that people don’t usually look at, but that is just as important as the many other aspects of Anthropocene. I am also interested in his work, because there are quite a few abandoned buildings in Jersey, that I could explore for this project.

Why have I chosen this artist?

I have chosen this artist, because I feel like I could recreate his work very well by exploring different abandoned buildings near me. I also think it would be very fun to explore these abandoned buildings. I also think he has done a good job at spreading an important message to do with Anthropocene, that all different sorts of abandoned materials, no matter how big or small will always effect the earth and wild life, even if it isn’t the most thought about cause for Anthropocene.

What I am going to do in response to his work?

In response to his work I am going to visit abandoned buildings all over Jersey, such as;

• Bouley bay cafe and hotel
• Building next to Mayfair
• St John state owned building
• St Martin state owned building
• St Saviour state owned building

I will then explore these places, while taking many different photographs of the rumble and ruins and materials that have been left behind.

I would also like to try and recreate this image, as well as a few others. I would recreate this image, by having Katie stand in front of a wall and using lights to try and cast a shadow, as I am unable to spray paint this figure on the walls, because its vandalism.

Comparing My Artists

Edward Burtynsky and Barry Rosenthal

Similarities:

• Both use a birds eye view angle when taking their photos
• Both take images of rubbish/ plastic

Differences:

• Burtynsky takes images out in the real world environment, whereas Rosenthal takes images in the studio
• Burtynsky also takes images of industrialisation, whereas Rosenthal only takes images of discarded plastic
• Rosenthal arranges her discarded plastics for her images, whereas Burtynsky finds places and takes photos of them the way they originally were

Edward Burtynsky and John Divola

Similarities:

• They both take photos of man-made sites/ industrialisation
• They both take photos in the real world environment
• They both take images of the places/ things where they found them in their original position

Differences:

• Burtynsky also takes photos of rubbish, whereas Divola only takes photos of industrilisation

John Divola and Barry Rosenthal

Differences:

• Rosenthal only takes images of discarded plastic, whereas Divola only takes images of industrialisation

‘The Anthropocene defines Earth’s most recent geologic time period as being human-influenced, or anthropogenic, based on overwhelming global evidence that atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, biospheric and other earth system processes are now altered by humans.’

‘The word combines the root “anthropo”, meaning “human” with the root “-cene”, the standard suffix for “epoch” in geologic time.’

Anthropocene is the substantial impact humans have had and are having on the earth. For example:

• pollution
• destruction
• storm damage
• weathering
• land reclamation
• over population
• traffic congestion
• waste disposal issues
• recycling
• fly tipping
• construction
• etc.

What are the 4 causes of Anthropocene?

The 4 causes of Anthropocene are:

• Agriculture- Farming
• Urbanisation- Buildings, cities
• Deforestation- The cutting down of trees
• Pollution- Litter and greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere

Signs of the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene is mainly characterised by three factors: the technological progress that sped up after the First Industrial Revolution, the explosive growth in population thanks to improvements in food, health and hygiene, and the multiplication of production and consumption.

There are many signs of Anthropocene and of the impact humans on the earth and they consist of things such as:

• pollution
• destruction
• storm damage
• weathering
• land reclamation
• over population
• traffic congestion
• waste disposal issues
• recycling
• fly tipping
• construction
• littering
• etc.

How has agriculture impacted the earth?

Agriculture effects the earth, because it needs water as input and pollutes rivers, lakes, and oceans by releasing nutrients. It is a crucial driver of climate change, responsible for around one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. It has also replaced permanent forests and wild grasslands with farm fields that allow much higher rates of soil erosion where the soil is not covered year-round.

Food production accounts for over a quarter (26%) of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The map below shows the different types of land used for agriculture on the left and on the right it shows the sizes of these agriculture farms and as seen below they are mostly all larger than 100 ha, which is resulting in lots of deforestation and destruction of natural land.

How has urbanisation impacted the earth?

Urbanisation often results in deforestation, habitat loss, and the extraction of freshwater from the environment, which can decrease biodiversity and alter species ranges and interactions. Urbanisation has also caused lots of air and water pollution, due to waste disposal problems, high energy consumption etc. as well as insufficient water availability.

Urbanisation is growing largely due to over population. Statistics show that in 2020, there were 7.7 billion people and, by 2022, the global population reached 8 billion people in Nov. This statistic shows how rapidly the population is growing due to better agriculture, health and hygiene etc.

The table below shows the biggest cities on earth, due to urbanisation, and their population, to show how over-populated earth is and how many buildings there must be to house all these people. It also shows how many km of land the cities take up to give another idea about how large these cities are and how much urbanisation there actually is.

How has deforestation impacted the earth?

Deforestation refers to the purposeful clearing or thinning of trees and forests. When deforestation occurs, much of the carbon stored by trees is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change. It also creates air pollution and green house gasses, which is what causes climate change. Deforestation also creates habitat loss, which can decrease biodiversity and alter species ranges and interactions, as well as animals to go extinct in some cases. It also causes desertification and soil erosion.

The map below shows how deforestation is currently affecting the earth in each and every country and how wide spread deforestation is. It also shows how at risk these places are for deforestation and how at risk each country is for deforestation.

How has pollution impacted the earth?

Air pollution affects all things. It is harmful to our health, and it impacts the environment by reducing visibility and blocking sunlight, causing acid rain, and harming forests, wildlife, and agriculture. Greenhouse gas pollution, the cause of climate change, affects the entire planet.

Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes. It also causes many animals to die, which could cause extinction, which can decrease biodiversity and alter species ranges and interactions.

What are the consequences of Anthropocene?

Consequences of Anthropocene include:

• global warming
• habitat loss
• changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere
• oceans and soils
• animal exstinctions
• etc.

These human actions cause, among other consequences, changes in the water cycle, imbalances and destruction’s in the marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the increase of extreme meteorological phenomena, the acidification of the oceans or the disappearance of the forests.

How people are trying to stop the harmful impact on the earth

There are many ways people are trying to stop the harmful impact against earth. One of the ways people are trying to do this is by raising money for charity. There are lots of charities for things such as climate change, where the money goes towards things that can help benefit climate change, like re planting trees for example.

Replanting trees will massively help climate change, as the more trees means more CO2 being absorbed by them and taken out of the atmosphere, meaning less green house gasses. It also helps many animals, as it gives them their habitats back, or new ones.

Another way people are trying to stop the negative impact on earth that the humans are having is by trying to stop air pollution and water pollution. Many people are trying to stop water pollution by doing things such as ‘clean up the beach.’ This is where many people volunteer to go across beaches and pick up litter. This will help the water pollution and help many sea animals survive and help stop extinction.

A way people are stopping air pollution is trying to use their cars less, so that they will not produce as much green house gasses while driving. People are doing this by doing things such as cycling, walking or getting public transport.

The Anthropocene defines Earth’s most recent geologic time period as being human-influenced, or anthropogenic, based on overwhelming global evidence that atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, biospheric and other earth system processes are now altered by humans.

Examples

• pollution
• destruction
• storm damage
• weathering
• land reclamation
• over population
• traffic congestion
• waste disposal issues
• recycling
• fly tipping
• construction
• etc.

The word combines the root “anthropo”, meaning “human” with the root “-cene”, the standard suffix for “epoch” in geologic time.

Mood Board

Mind Map

The images which are highlighted green are the images I have chosen to edit, because they portray the New Topographics the best as they display nature and urban areas, such as buildings. These images also have the best composition and focus. The images that are highlighted red are the images I have decided to use for my HDR, as I used exposure bracketing when taking them, so that they would have different exposure levels. The images highlighted pruple are the images I have decided to use for my panaramic image, because I took photos of the landscape, panning from one side to the other.

Edits

The next following images were taken at Harve De Pas:

I edited these images by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so the images would be brighter.

These images were taken by the pool at Harve de Pas and are images of the beach, with the houses and buildings in the distance. This relates to the new topographics, because it shows nature (the beach) coinciding with the buildings (man-made/ urban).

I edited these images by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, blacks and highlights. I did this so both images would be brighter and stand out more.

All these images show how man-made buildings have to been placed in nature, which relates to the new topographics.

I edited these images by increasing the exposure (on the first two and decreasing it on the second two), contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks, so that the image would be brighter and so the colours would stand out more.

This image shows how buildings and urban areas surround and coincide with nature areas, such as this beach. This relates to the New Topographics.

I edited these images by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy, saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks, so that the colours would be much brighter and stand out more on the building.

These images show the natural environment (the beach) coinciding with the urban man-made environment (the building) which relates to the new topographics.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks, so that the image had better lighting and wasn’t as bright, so that it would be more visible.

This image shows how man-made urban structures like the buildings in the distance coincide with the nature, the trees and beach. This relates the the New Topographics.

Final Edited Harve De Pas Images:

Edits

These images were taken on the field at Highlands:

I edited these images by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights, exposure and blacks. I did this, so the image and colours were brighter, so they would stand out more.

This Image shows how urban man-made buildings can coincide with nature and natural environments, which the trees and surrounding grass show.

I edited these images by decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks, while increasing the contrast, whites, shadows, vibrancy and saturation. I did this, so the colours and image would be brighter and stand out more.

These images show how buildings, such as the hut exist in natural environments, such as this grass field.

Final Field Images:

Edits

These images were taken near and at La collette

I edited both these images by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. On the first photo I also decreased the saturation, but increased it on the second photo. I did this, so the photos would be brighter and more eye capturing. I especially did this on the first photo, so that the clouds were white, instead of a light grey colour and so the blue in the sky could be seen.

Both these images show man made buildings, such as the large building in the first image and the fence in the second. These images also show a natural environment as well, such as the grass hill and path. These images support the new topographics, because they show harmony between the man-made and natural landscapes and how they can coincide together.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks and saturation, so the tower would be more bold and stand out more against the sky, which was also made more blue.

Then, I made a black and white version of this photo, by creating a virtual copy of the final edited picture and selecting black and white. I did this to increase the contrast between the tower and the sky and to make the photo more eye capturing.

This image relates to the theme of New Topographics, because this image presents how man-made urban landscapes can be beautiful and photographed in the same way that natural landscapes are.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, saturation and vibrancy while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so the building would be bolder and stand out more as it is more vibrant and has more contrast.

Then, I created a black and white version of the final edited image, by creating a virtual copy of the edited image and selecting it to be black and white.

This image relates to the theme of New Topographics, because this image presents how man-made urban landscapes can be beautiful and photographed in the same way that natural landscapes are.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, saturation and vibrancy while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so the graffiti and grey box building would have more contrast.

Then, I created a black and white version of the final edited image, by creating a virtual copy of the edited image and selecting it to be black and white.

This image relates to the theme of New Topographics, because this image presents how man-made urban landscapes can be beautiful and photographed in the same way that natural landscapes are.

I edited these images by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks and saturation. I did this, so the sky would have less exposure and therefore look more blue. I also did this, so the mountain and buildings would have more contrast and be more defined as they have less exposure, so that they capture the viewers eye more.

Both these images show man made buildings, such as the large building in the first image and the fence in the second. These images also show a natural environment as well, such as the grass hill and path. These images support the new topographics, because they show harmony between the man-made and natural landscapes and how they can coincide together.

Final Images

Panoramic

These are the images I have taken to create my panoramic photo. I have chosen to use these images, as they pan over the whole landscape, so are perfect for a panoramic image.

Final Panoramic Image

How I did it

First, I selected my pictures chosen for my panorama on Lightroom and selected photo merge and then panorama. Once my image was made, I then cut the jagged edges of.

HDR

These are the images I have chosen to create my HDR images, because I have taken three different images of the same landscape, but with three different exposures. One with regular exposure and one too high and one too low.

Final HDR Images

My first HDR image consists of the Lido building at Harve de Pas.

My second HDR image consists of the tower and building in the distance across the beach, near La Collette.

How I did it

First, I selected my three images, then selected photo merge, then HDR. Then, I chose whether I wanted high medium or low exposure. I chose high for both.

New Topographics was a term coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar banal aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape.

What is New Topographics?

New Topographics is a man-altered landscape, that can include man-made buildings, such as homes, towers, car parks etc. as well as natural environments, such as fields, mountains and beaches. The New Topographics can also just be a man-altered landscape with only man-made things.

The New Topographics photography was presented in the same way as natural/ romanticism/ sublime landscapes by many photographers.

The photos of man-altered landscapes presented man and nature coinciding with each other.

When did it become Popular?

A turning point in the history of photography, the 1975 exhibition New Topographics signalled a radical shift away from traditional depictions of landscape. This became popular post-war, because this was when society returned to normal and many more buildings/ man-made structures were built.

The Beginning of the Death of the American Dream

Many of the photographers associated with The New Topographics including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Nicholas Nixon and Bernd and Hiller Becher, were inspired by the man-made.

New Topographics was inspired by the likes of Albert Renger Patszch and the notion of The New Objectivity.

Parking lots, suburban housing and warehouses were all portrayed with a beautiful stark austerity, almost in the way early photographers documented the natural landscape. An exhibition at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York featuring these photographers also revealed the growing unease about how the natural landscape was being eroded by industrial development.

What was the New Topographics a reaction to?

The New Topographics was a reflection of the increasingly suburbanised world around us, and a reaction to the tyranny of idealised landscape photography that elevated the natural and the elemental.

Post-war America struggled with:

• Inflation and labour unrest. The country’s main economic concern in the immediate post-war years was inflation. …
• The baby boom and suburbia. Making up for lost time, millions of returning veterans soon married and started families…
• Isolation and splitting of the family unit, pharmaceuticals and mental health problems
• Vast distances, road networks and mobility

The New Topographics became popular post-war, because as all the soldiers were returning from war to their families and more babies were being made, this meant that more buildings had to be built in order for everyone to have a home and so society can return back to normal. Buildings that were damaged in the war were also repaired and rebuilt.

The New Topographics were to have a decisive influence on later photographers including those artists who became known as the Düsseldorf School of Photography.

Popular New Topographics Photographers

Many of the photographers associated with new topographics including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Nicholas Nixon and Bernd and Hiller Becher, were inspired by the man-made, selecting subject matter that was matter-of-fact.

The New Topographics were to have a decisive influence on later photographers including those artists who became known as the Düsseldorf School of Photography.

Robert Adams

Robert Adams was an American photographer, who was best known for documenting both the beauty and commercialization of the American West. He was born January 21st 1928 and died March 2nd 1997 at age 69. Adams was born in New Jersey and raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. He moved to Southern California in 1956 to attend the University of Redlands. He chose to major in English literature and went on to earn a Ph.D. in that subject at the University of Southern California in 1965.

About his work

When Adams returned to Colorado to begin what he anticipated would be a career in teaching, he was dismayed by the changes he saw in the landscape. He bought a 35-mm camera, taught himself the fundamentals of photography, and began making pictures infused with a love for the geography of his home state.

Robert Adams has photographed the landscape of the American West for more than forty years, particularly in California, Colorado and Oregon. His vision is inspired by his joy in nature’s inherent beauty, yet tempered by his dismay at its exploitation and degradation. Adams uses photography to express his love for the landscape and to understand how urban and industrial growth have changed it, all the while insisting that beauty in the world has not been entirely eclipsed.

Who inspired him?

Adams style of work and his work was inspired by many other well known photographers who came before him. He was especially inspired by:

• Timothy O’Sullivan
• William Henry Jackson
• Carleton Watkins.

Other photographer, who often merged their social concerns with aesthetic ones also inspired Robert Adam’s work, such as:

• Lewis Hine
• Edward Weston
• Dorothea Lange
• Ansel Adams

His Books

Robert Adams made many books, such as:

• Los Angeles Spring
• Why People Photograph
• Art Can Help
• Turning back

As well as many other books.

However, his most popular book was a photo book called, ‘The New West,’ which included many of his new topographic photographs.

Robert Adams used Ansel Adams zonal System aswell for all his photographs, so he could get good exposure/ contrast in his black and white images. He was expired to create black and white images using the zonal system from Ansel Adams, just like he did.

Critic Sean O’Hagan, writing in The Guardian, said ‘his subject has been the American west: its vastness, its sparse beauty and its ecological fragility. What he has photographed constantly, in varying shades of grey is what has been lost and what remains’ and that ‘his work’s other great subtext’ is silence.

His Photographs

These are just some photos of Robert Adams work in New Topographics, where he includes images of man-made structure, as well as the natural environment around them, such as the trees, field or mountain.

His most Popular Work

This photo is his most popular work:

This image uses natural daylight lighting as it is taken outside during a cloudy day, so that when it is in black and white the sky is light grey instead of dark grey. The horizon line is positioned straight and above the caravan site. The image is located at a caravan site, where there is also a natural environment (the mountains in distance), as well as a man-made environment (the caravan site). This image has lots of contrast, as it is in black and white, so the image consists of a range of different grey tones. It has lots of different light and dark tones throughout. The layout of this image in split in half. The bottom half 9foreground) consisting of the man-made environment (caravan site) and the top half (background), where the horizon line is consisting of the natural environment (the field and mountain in the distance). These two very different environments are balanced and coincide in harmony.

This relates to the New Topographics, because the image presents how urban environments can coincide with nature and natural environments and how urban environments are growing more and more and can be displayed in the same way as natural landscapes. Roberts Adams took inspiration from Ansel Adams in this photo, as he used his zonal system when taking this photo, so he could get the correct exposure and contrast on his black and white photo. Ansel Adams also produced black and white landscapes. However, Robert Adams landscapes moved further away from the ‘norms’ of landscapes, which is what Ansel Adams focused on.

The concept of this photo is create awareness on how urban structures are growing in size over a vast majority of the world, but how this is not always a bad thing, as it can be just as beautiful and as much of an art as natural landscapes.

My Favourite Photograph

This image is my favourite of Robert Adams work, because it displays how man can live in harmony with the natural environment, without destroying it. This photo presents that, because it is just one church house in the middle of a natural environment and not an image of a big city for example, which ruins and takes over the environment.

This image uses natural daylight lighting as is it taken outside during a cloudy day, so that when it is in black and white the sky is light grey instead of dark grey. This image is in black and white has has contrast of light and dark tones. The main viewpoint is the small church in the middle of the field as it presents the balance and harmony between man kind and the natural environment.

This relates to the New Topographics, because the image presents how urban environments can coincide with nature and natural environments and how urban environments are growing more and more and can be displayed in the same way as natural landscapes. Roberts Adams took inspiration from Ansel Adams in this photo, as he used his zonal system when taking this photo, so he could get the correct exposure and contrast on his black and white photo. Ansel Adams also produced black and white landscapes. However, Robert Adams landscapes moved further away from the ‘norms’ of landscapes, which is what Ansel Adams focused on.

The concept of this photo is create awareness on how urban structures are growing in size over a vast majority of the world, but how this is not always a bad thing, as it can be just as beautiful and as much of an art as natural landscapes. This photo especially expresses how urban environments are not always destructive as there is one small man-made church in a vast natural environment, which is still there and protected.

Lewis Baltz

Lewis “Duke” Baltz was an American visual artist, photographer, and educator. He was an important figure in the New Topographics movement of the late 1970s. He was born September 12th, 1945 in California and died 22nd November, 2014 at age 69, in Paris. He worked as a freelance photographer in California and taught photography at various institutions, including the California Institute of the Arts, the University of California (Riverside and Santa Cruz), Yale, the École Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and the Art Academy of Helsinki. 

About His Work

His best known work was monochrome (black and white) photography of suburban landscapes and industrial parks which highlighted his commentary of void within the “American Dream”. Lewis Baltz produces photographs in series focused on a particular theme or geographic area and usually publishes them in book form;

• The New Industrial Parks Near Irvine, California (1975)
• Nevada (1978)
• Park City (1981)
• Sites of Technology (2007)
• WORKS (2010)
• The Prototype Works (2011)
• Candlestick Point (2011).
• etc

His work, like that of others associated with the New Topographics, challenges the nineteenth century tradition of western landscape photography. Baltz’s perception of the landscape necessarily reveals the effects of twentieth-century culture and suburban development on the nation’s topography. 

Lewis Blatz also created typology photographs, which is photographs that share a high level of consistency and Baltz most commonly took these typologies of large buildings in urban areas.

Who inspired him

Lewis Baltz started photography at age 12 and his early influences were Ed van der Elsken, Wright Morris and Edward Weston and frequented camera shops, especially William R.

His photographs

New Topographics:

Typologies:

His most popular work

This image was one of his most popular images, because his most popular images were his black and white photographs. The lighting used was natural daylight lighting, because the image was taken outside on a cloudy day, so that the sky would be a light grey, instead of a dark grey, like it would be on a sunny day. The image has high levels of contrast and lots of black and white tones (different shades of grey) throughout. The main viewpoint of this image is the old, dirty house.

This relates to the new topographics, because the photograph shows how urban man-made buildings and things can be taken as landscapes in the same way and style as natural landscapes are. This image may also show how houses were early post war, before they had been rebuilt and fixed. Houses would be like this post war due to the destruction of the war and bombings etc. The meaning behind this photo was to show that no matter how ugly, or worn down the man-made things/buildings are they can still be portrayed as beautiful, just like natural landscapes.

My Favourite Photo

This image is my favourite image, because it displays man-made structures coinciding with nature and living in balance and harmony.

This image uses natural daylight lighting, because the image was taken outside on a cloudy day, so that the sky would be a light grey, instead of a dark grey, like it would be on a sunny day. The image has high levels of contrast and lots of black and white tones (different shades of grey) throughout. The layout of this photo had the man-made structure in the background and uses the grass as a leading line towards the man-made structure, which makes me believe that the man-made structure is the viewpoint.

This relates to the New Topographics, because the image presents how urban environments can coincide with nature and natural environments and how urban environments are growing more and more and can be displayed in the same way as natural landscapes.

The concept of this photo is create awareness on how urban structures are growing in size over a vast majority of the world, but how this is not always a bad thing, as it can be just as beautiful and as much of an art as natural landscapes. This photo especially expresses how urban environments are not always destructive as there is one small man-made structure in a vast natural environment, which is still there and protected.

Their Influence

The world of photography underwent a significant transformation with the emergence of Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz, two photographers known for injecting purpose and innovation into their work. Renowned for their change from traditional norms (natural landscapes), these artists reshaped the visual expression landscape. 

New Topographics was a term coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar banal aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape.

Mind Map

Mood Board

The photos I have highlighted green are the images I have chosen to edit, because they represent Romanticism and the sublime the best, by using different elements of nature. They also have the best lighting and are the most dramatic images. The images highlighted in other colours are the images I have chosen to use for my HDR.

I edited these images in the same way, by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and the blacks. I did this, so the images would have better lighting, because they originally had poor lighting. This also made the image brighter and the colours brighter.

I took this image at Harve De Pas at around 4pm on the beach. The photo is off into the distance and captures the rocks, sand, sea and the green mountain/fields in the distance. This image shows how a large amount of land is all still nature and has not been urbanised yet.

This is how the final edited images came out. They show the nature closer up and far in the distance. This portrays the beauty of nature well and relates to Romanticism, because it is beautiful, admired and has been kept and not urbanised yet, which was Romanticists goals. This also relates to Ansel Adams work.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, whites, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, blacks and highlights, so that the image would be brighter and the colours more vibrant.

This image was also taken at Harve De Pas beach and shows the nature up close and in the distance. It also relates to Romanticism, because it shows the beauty and peacefulness of the nature and the sea. However, it also links to the Sublime, because I had people in the photo, so that the comparison between the size of humans and the sea and rocks around could be seen. This highlights how big the sea is compared to humans, who are much smaller. The clouds also look ‘heavenly’ in this photo, so that symbolises the religious parts of Romanticism and how they believed nature was religious and sacred. This also relates to Ansel Adams work.

The final edited image came out like this, of the sea, clouds, sand and rocks.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, whites, shadows and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, blacks and highlights, so that this image would be brighter and the green of the leaves would ‘pop’ more.

This image was taken in St Brelade near Corbiere in a little forest walk way.

I chose to have a person in this image, so that it would relate to the Sublime. The over grown bushes and trees are much larger and more powerful than the small human in the photo, which relates to the Sublime and how nature is strong and powerful and humans are nothing compared. This also relates to Ansel Adams work.

The final edited image came out like this.

I edited this picture by increasing the contrast, exposure, whites, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and the blacks, so that this photo would have ,more of a contrast and more of a tonal range as the trees create shade closer up and there is a break in the trees further down, where there is sun light.

This image was taken in St. Catherine’s woods down near the lake.

This is the final edited image.

This image relates to the Sublime, because it presents how big the trees are, and how they tower over the much smaller people in this photo. It also supports romanticism, because the nature is beautiful, and the people are there to be in awe of it. The sun light coming through the break in the trees in the distance of the photo also looks ‘heavenly,’ which is important to Romanticism, because Romanticists believed that nature was sacred, because it was put it from God. This also relates to Ansel Adams work.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the blacks and highlights, so that the clouds looked more grey and storm like, and the create contrast in the shades in the grass.

This image was taken at the sand dunes in St ounes.

This photo represents the sublime, because it shows how tiny a human is compared to a vast land of nature. It also shows how there is a storm brewing and how the clouds look ‘angry’ in a way. This supports the Sublime, because the Sublime supports nature as being stronger, bigger and more powerful than humans. This also relates to Ansel Adams work.

I edited these three images by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks and highlights, so that the images would have better lighting, because the original images had poor lighting as they were taken in the dark using the flash.

These images were taken in St Andrews park in St Lawrence.

These are the final edited images.

These images relate to Romanticism, because they present lots of different elements of nature, such as trees and flowers. They present the beauty of them all and the vastness of the nature, as there is nature all through into the distance, with no urbanisation, as it is still a grass field. This also relates to Ansel Adams work.

HDR Merge

Next, I wanted to make a HDR, but I had no photos with bracketed exposure. However, I did take some images at school with bracketed exposure with Mr Toft, but they were lost. Instead, I decided to use these images to make a HDR:

I used Lightroom to create my HDR, but I also did attempt with photoshop, but ultimately decided I prefer using Lightroom.

I chose three images from above with different exposures to create my HDR. Then, I merged them together and chose the type of exposure I wanted.

Here is the HDR in Lightroom with the overlay, while I decided my exposure.

Here is my final HDR image, after using Lightroom to create it.

Then, I experimented with other photos I had taken using exposure bracketing.

These are the images I used to create this HDR:

Storm Ciaran

Storm Ciaran hit Jersey Channel Islands Wednesday 2nd November 2023. Jersey was hit by a tornado and extremely strong winds lashed the island. This caused dozens of people to be evacuated from their homes. Schools, work, shops were shut due to this storm and the whole island was advised to stay inside until the next day due to the really unsafe conditions and unsafe damage.

“It’s really clear certain areas of the island have really been hit hard this time and the damage is very significant.”

“We’ve all seen footage of some really serious damage that has been done but it will take some time to be able to assess all of that.”

The government asked any islanders planning to return to their properties and assess damage should only return “if it is absolutely safe to do so.”

“For properties that have sustained significant damage, we strongly advise seeking the opinion of a property surveyor or structural engineer before entering and or trying the collect belongings.”

Lots of damage was caused, mainly in St Clements, as that is where the storm/ tornado hit the worst. Damage occurred to;

• Schools (Hautlieu, Highlands)
• Many homes
• Airport
• St Clements Golf club
• Trees/ environment
• etc.

This has taken a while to fix, even though some of the damage still has not been fixed yet. This also costed the Government and many people lots of money and time to fix this damage created by the storm.

Examples of tree Damage

These images were taken by other people in jersey a few days after the storm, when there was much more damage and fallen trees still around, before the clean up. This is an example of how powerful Storm Ciaran was.

Examples of house Damage

These images were of peoples homes not long after Storm Ciaran, and these images present just how powerful the storm and the wind was, to be able to knock down walls, and take off roofs etc.

Examples of other buildings Damage

These images were also taken not long after the storm of other buildings, which were not people’s homes. These images also present how strong and powerful, while also dangerous the Storm and the winds were.

Examples of Rough Waves

These Images were taken of the waves during the strong winds of the storm. These waves help present how rough and strong the storm and winds were, to be able to produce these mighty waves.

My Storm Damage Photos

The images that I have highlighted green are the images I have chosen to edit, because I think they show all the different damage the storm did the best, while also having the best focus and composure.

House Damage

I took these photos in my bedroom in St Helier near Harve De Pas. The storm damaged my room, by causing flooding, which you can see with the water on the floor. This then caused the walls to wear away, and then have to be knocked down.

Edits

I edited these pictures by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while also decreasing the highlights and blacks, so that the photo would be brighter, and so the white walls would have less of a grey tint and look more of a clean white. I also did this, so the image would be brighter and have less blacks through it, so that all the damage was more visible.

The final edited images then came out like this. In this image you can see the hole in the wall in the corner, where the water is flooding in, as well as the damage it has done to the walls and floor. You can also see lose wires that have been hung up, so they do not fall in the water, so they will not cause any electrocutions.

I edited this photo by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks and highlights, so that the room and walls looked much brighter, and so the water on the floor was more visible.

This is how the final edited image came out. You can still see the damage to the corner of the room, but you can also see the water on the floor now, and a broom which was used to tidy some of the damage.

I edited these photos in the same way, by increasing the exposure contrast, whites, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks and highlights, so that the images were more vibrant and visible. However, on the second image I also increased a yellow tint, because the original image had a slight blue tint.

This is how the final edited images came out. They show the huge damage done by the storm to the walls in my bedroom.

Tree Damage

I took these images near the Post Office in St Clements. The storm has caused many of these trees to have fallen over and fallen all on top of each other. This presents how powerful and strong the wind was from the storm to be able to blow all these trees down. Many bigger trees were cleared up just days after the storm, but smaller trees in non-hazarded places are less of an urgent concern. In these images there was also damage to the fence surrounding the trees, which you can see.

Edits

These first images I took had quite a blue tint on them, so I had to adjust it and add more of a yellow tint to be able to cancel the blue out. Then, I edited these pictures in the same way, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while also increasing the saturation on the first one. Then, I decreased the exposure highlights and blacks on both. I did this, so that the colouring was better and brighter on each image, so that the image was more accurate compared to what I saw.

The final images then came out like this, where you can see all the fallen trees piled on top of each other, while also being able to see the damage done to the fence surrounding the trees in the second image.

Once, I realised my photos were coming out with a blue tint I played around with my camera settings adjusting them, so that there was no longer a blue tint.

I edited these images, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while also decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks, so that the image looked less dull and the damage done by the storm could stand out more.

The final edited images then came out like this. You can clearly see the damage done to the trees, as they are all fallen and on top of each other, while also seeing the damage done to the fence surrounding it. This presents how strong the storm must of been to be able to cause all this damage.

I edited these images by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks, so that the image would be brighter and more visible, as the images were taken when it was dark.

The final images came out like this. These images are not the best, as they were taken on my phone, because I only spotted this, while on a dog walk and did not have my camera, so they could have been better quality. However, I think the images show the damage from the storm very well and shows how powerful the storm was the be able to tear the tree out of the ground like that.

Other Buildings

I took these images of the buildings near the Post Office in St Clement. I focussed on taking pictures in St Clement, because that is where the storm hit Jersey the hardest. In these images you can see the damage done by the storm on other buildings and walls. Most damage to many buildings has been fixed by now, but this damage was minor, so not a priority.

Edits

I edited all these images, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks, so that the image would be more clear and vibrant.

This is how the final edited photos came out, and you can see where the storm sad damaged the walls and equipment near it. This also shows how strong the storm must of been, to be able to knock down a brick wall.

Final Best Images

I have chose these images as my final best images, because I think they have the best editing skills done to them , while also having the best composure. They also all present the storm damage well and present how strong and powerful the storm was.

Virtual Gallery

I made this virtual gallery of my storm damage images using ArtSteps. Firstly, I picked out a suitable gallery that I liked. Then, I imported my chosen images into ArtStepsand put them in the gallery. Next, I positioned them all where I thought they looked good and gave them all different frames. Finally, I previewed my gallery and took photos of all my images.

PhotoShop

I made this image using photoshop. Firstly, I imported my two chosen images onto and a4 print and resized them both so they filled up the print. Next, I adjusted the opacity of the image on top, so that all the trees from the image underneath would come through. I did this, so it looked light there was much more damage and trees fallen in this image. The only thing ruining this image is the sign post.

The two images before:

Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams was born 20th February 1902, in San Francisco California and died 22nd April 1984, in Carmel California. He was an American photographer and environmentalist, who was the most important landscape photographer of the 20th century, creating black and white landscapes, and even creating the zonal system. His work has continued to increase in popularity since his death and now inspires many other artists, such as Robert Adams, Judy Dater, Robert Dawson, Minor White, Ted Orland and many more.

Ansel Adams was a hopeless and rebellious student, until his dad removed him from school at the age of 12. He then became a serious musician as a highly gifted pianist, until he fell and broke his nose and lost his confidence. After he received his first camera in 1916, Adams also proved to be a talented photographer. Throughout the 1920s, when he worked as the custodian of the Sierra Club’s lodge in Yosemite National Park, he created impressive landscape photographs.

Group f64?

 In 1930 he met the American photographer Paul Strand and was shown the negatives that Strand was then making in New Mexico. Adams was deeply impressed with the simplicity of the images’ conception and by their rich and luminous tonality, a style in contrast to the soft-focus Pictorialism still in vogue among many contemporary photographers. The experience confirmed in him his evolution toward a purer and more realistic style. In 1932 Adams helped form Group f.64, a loose and short-lived association of West Coast photographers (including Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham), who favoured sharp focus and the use of the entire photographic grey scale, from black to white, and who shunned any effects borrowed from traditional fine arts such as painting.

What is the Zonal System?

Ansel Adams created the zonal system, so he could predict what the exposure would need to be for his visualisation of his landscape, so he could get his visualisation quicker and correct.

Ansel Adams base rule was:

‘Exposure for the shadows, develop for the highlights.’

 The zone-system of Ansel Adams divides the photo into eleven zones; nine shades of grey, together with pure black and pure white.

This zonal system was used, so he could create the photograph he was visualising. This zonal system helped him get his visualisation correct quicker, because he could not just take multiple tries for free, like we can today. This zonal system was also what he used to create his black and white pictures, as 0 was pure black, 5 was middle grey and 10 was pure white. However, you could assume that a normal photo does not contain pure black and pure white.

How did he use Romanticism and the sublime?

Ansel Adams produced photographs using the sublime, because he took photos of different parts of nature, such as mountains, waterfalls, rivers, cliffs etc, which are places that support the sublime, because they can be admired and create a sense of awe, while also creating a sense of panic and danger, because these parts of nature can be very strong and violent, because of their power and strength, or there mass/ height.

Adams created romanticism images as he took pictures of different parts of nature again, such as forests, trees, mountains, flowers etc, which supports romanticism, because romanticists believed that nature should be admired and create a sense of awe, because of its beauty. Adams presented the beauty of the nature through all his different photographs.

Who did he influence?

Ansel’s photography has had great impact, not only in awakening people to the beauty of nature but in inspiring many other photographers to turn their efforts to the natural scene and to use photography in the interests of environmental preservation.

Ansel Adams was influenced by Paul Strand, because his images had a powerful impact on Adams and helped him to move away from the pictorial style, which Adams and favoured in the 20s and focussed him more on the sublime and on the beauty and awe of nature, while also capturing the strength and power of it.

Ansel Adams has left a legacy to everyone by creating visually unforgettable images of unspoiled nature in spectacular places. He has paved the way for photography to be exhibited beside traditional painting and portraiture in national galleries. He is remembered for his most important work, which was devoted to what was or appeared to be the country’s remaining fragments of untouched wilderness, especially in national parks and other protected areas of the American West. He was also a vigorous and outspoken leader of the conservation movement.

Ansel Adams inspired people by making photography more creative by saying:

‘You don’t take a photograph, you make it.’

This influenced many other photographers to become more creative with their work, like Ansel Adams did instead of just taking pictures that looked ‘pretty’ and were the ‘norm.’

Most Popular Work

Ansel Adams favourite and most popular photograph was the Half Dome in full shadow in the Happy Isles. He travelled from his home there with his fiancée, Virginia, and two friends to begin a photoshoot.

He used a Korona View Camera with two lenses, two filters, a wooden tripod and twelve wratten panchromatic glass plates.

Firstly, he attempted to take the photo using an 8 1/2 inch focal length and made his first exposure of 11, using a wratten no. 8 k2 yellow filter. This image did not fit his visualisation. Next, he used his deep red wratten no. 29 with the shutter release for 5 second exposure at f/22. He then achieved his visualisation.

Image Analysis

I have chosen this image to analyse, because I think it portrays the sublime in Romanticism very well, as Adams has used the clouds/fog to his advantage, to show how strong and powerful they really are, as they cover the entire ground and most of the trees. However, he also uses them to show the beauty of the nature in this photograph.

Ansel Adams used natural lighting, while he was positioned on top of a mountain, while taking an image of the surroundings and down below. He used a high contrast of white and blacks throughout this whole image. He also used high exposure for the lighter areas and lower exposure for the darker areas, so he could create that contrast.

Adams created a black and white image with dark and light tones throughout, with lots of texture throughout (the trees, mountains, clouds). He also used leading lines in his image, so that the viewers eyes follow the line down the picture, until they reach the viewpoint. The viewpoint in the image was the low ground, where the mountains were surrounding. He also used depth of surface illusion in this image, to attract the viewers attention more.

This image was taken on the West side of America, because Adams believed the weather was better for photographs on this side of America, because it was darker and colder and changed more, compared to California where it was always sunny. This helped him create the sublime in Romanticism better, because the weather was more powerful here.

I think Ansel Adams took this image, so he could portray the sublime and move away from just ‘pretty sunsets.’ He showed ‘bad weather’ and made it beautiful, but also scary, because of its strength and power.

Romanticism is the celebration of the individual and the glorification of nature. Romanticism was a revolt against the aristocratic social and political ‘norms’ of the Age of Enlightenment (the age of reason), which promoted reasonable and sensible decisions. It went against this, because romanticism promoted making decisions based on your emotions and not reason. Romanticism legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority, which permitted freedom from classical notions of form in art. An example of art that used the ideas of romanticism was the sorrows of young Werther, which was written by Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1774. It was a story about a young man called Werther, who was in love with a women named Charlotte. However, Charlotte was already married to another, so he could not have her. This then caused him to end his life. This supports the movement of romanticism, because it is him following his emotions, no matter how unreasonable his decision may have been.

Romanticism also focuses on nature and how that ignites emotions in individuals as well, because nature can be admired, but also feared, as it is so powerful. Romanticism supports being in awe of nature. Romanticism embraces the uniqueness of the human spirit, which Romantics feel is reflected in and deeply connected to the untamed wildness of nature.

When did Romanticism come about? What was going on at the time?

Romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century. The effects of the French revolution, which was industrialisation created the context from which the romantics emerged, because they did not like how nature was being demolished and turned into factories and buildings. The French revolution influenced Romanticism, which was in part about escaping from modern realities.

 As the revolution began to play out the French monarchy that had been in power for centuries had collapsed in just three years. This resulted in a complete transformation of society. A majority of the population was greatly in favour of this as the working class had been suffering oppression for many years. According to Albert Hancock, in his book ‘The French Revolution and the English Poets’: a study in historical criticism,

“The French Revolution came, bringing with it the promise of a brighter day, the promise of regenerated man and regenerated earth. It was hailed with joy and acclamation by the oppressed, by the ardent lovers of humanity, by the poets, whose task it is to voice the human spirit.”

“Writers and artists rejected the notion of the Enlightenment, which had sucked emotion from writing, politics, art, etc. and focused too much on Science, logic and reason. Writers and artists in the Romantic period favoured depicting emotions such as trepidation, horror, and wild untamed nature.”

“The ideals of these two intellectual movements were very different from one another. The Enlightenment thinkers believed very strongly in rationality and science, but the Romantics rejected the whole idea of reason and science. They felt that a scientific worldview was cold and sterile.”

What are some characteristics of Romanticism?

• Emotion and passion
• The critique of progress
• A return to the past
• An awe of nature
• The idealization of women
• The purity of childhood
• The search for subjective truth
• The celebration of the individual

An import characteristic of romanticism is emotions, such as fear, terror awe etc. Romanticists valued emotions and passion over reason and believed that people should make decisions based of their emotions and passions, no matter how unreasonable they are. This went against the age of reason. Romanticists believed passion was strong and one should do anything for the one they love. Eg the sorrows of young werther.

Romanticism was the critique of progress, because Romanticists critiques and went against industrialisation, as well as aristocratic social and political norms. They went against industrialisation, because it was destroying the nature of the world and they thought that the nature was more beautiful and should deserve more attention and admiration. They went against the aristocratic and social norms, because they believed people should marry for love, not for wealth or status, and should do anything for their emotions and passion, no matter how unreasonable it may be.

Romanticism tended to want to ‘return to the past’, before the French Revolution, and wanted to return to the Middle ages and medieval period, because they cherished the preoccupation with religion.

Romanticism was in awe with nature, because romanticists believed that nature was a source of beauty and truth. They believed nature was transfigured into a living force and held together as a unity by the breath of the divine spirit. This made them believe that nature should be admired by all and not destroyed by the French Revolution and industrialisation. They also thought that nature should be feared and create a feeling of terror, because of its strength and force compared to the human.

Romanticism idealised women, because women were seen as innocent and pure creators, who should be admired and respected. Many Romantic poets and novelists centred their narratives around celebrating the purity and beauty of a woman.

The child became a symbol of Romanticism, because the purity of childhood was admired by Romantics, because they saw children as innocent and free, with no worries and reason, which is what romanticism represents. The child is also seen as naturalness and proximity to nature, innocent, and sacred.

Romanticists believed that truth could be discovered in nature and imagination. They shunned the objective truths of science in favour of the more subjective truths of art.

The celebration of the individual, for the Romantics, goes hand-in-hand with the celebration of isolation. From their perspective, only when the individual is alone and, ideally, surrounded by nature, can he or she truly be free.

What is meant by the ‘sublime’?

The sublime applies to nature in Romanticism and means that while the nature is beautiful and can be admired, it should also be feared and create a sense of terror and darkness, because of how strong and powerful it is compared to humans. Different types of nature can create a sublime, such as storms, earthquakes, tornados, tsunami etc. All these events in nature are stronger and more powerful than any individual and are feared, but the individual will also feel a sense of awe, due to the vastness of the scene.

The sublime has five different principles, which are:

• great thoughts
• strong emotions
• certain figures of thought and speech
• noble diction
• Dignified word arrangement

The sublime was important to Romanticism, because they were obsessed with the idea of transcendence (going beyond normal expectations), with possible crossings between the self and nature, with the boundlessness of the universe.

What did Edmund Burke think was the ruling principle of the sublime?

Edmund Burke thought the ruling principle of the sublime was the feelings of awe, terror and danger. Anything could be sublime, as long as it excited emotions of pain and danger eg. a storm.

Burke claimed The Sublime was:

‘The strongest passion.’

‘Whatever therefore is terrible, with regard to sight, is sublime too, whether this cause of terror be endued with greatness of dimensions or not; for it is impossible to look on anything as trifling, or contemptible, that may be dangerous.’

Edmund Burke’s Philosophical Enquiry 1757, connected the sublime with expressions of awe, terror and danger. Burke saw nature as the most sublime object, because it was capable of creating the strongest sensations in its beholders. The romantic conception of the sublime proved influential for several generations of artists.