The ravages of Hurricane Sandy may remind the art world of the law of catastrophe art, that inspiration inspired by the wrath of nature leads to great work. Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the east coast of the United States on the evening of October 29, 2012, causing tremendous damage and awe. Let’s go back some two centuries to the great awe of nature that was at the heart of many great works of art. Edmund Burke once said that anything and phenomenon that causes pain, danger, and fear can be a source of profound artistic creation, leading to great works of art, and this view has gradually evolved into his aesthetic theory.
In 1808, Beethoven tested this theory with the fourth movement “The Tempest” in his famous Sixth Symphony. At the same time, Joseph Mallord William Turner also created the exquisite painting “Shipwreck” of the storm at sea. Imaginary or simulated storm scenarios were not enough for Turner, who, according to him, did experience it first-hand on board. Most artists before or after 1800 dealt with a similar theme, the fear of nature and the uncontrollable emotions it evokes. Serious and solemn themes seem to be common and indispensable in artistic creation, the basis for the construction of the entire aesthetic system, and the core topic of philosophical research.
Interestingly, in today’s art, such themes have all but disappeared. There’s only deafening heavy metal music, but they don’t seem to fit in with natural themes, let alone express fear, and they’re more concerned with using audio technology to stimulate our eardrums. Visual art today has become insulated from such themes, and most influential artists prefer to represent small-scale, rational human feelings. And you can find it in Hollywood’s IMAX films, although the runaway nature we see in the box-office blockbusters is more likely to be in outer space than Earth.
As people on earth in the 21st century, we have long been out of the way, no longer afraid of natural disasters, let alone using them as the subject of artistic creation. Even if we go camping or mountain climbing, today’s advanced communication technology will become a safety guarantee during the journey. The most dangerous mountaineering experience in recent works of art is only from the thriller “127 Hours” starring James Blanco, which tells how a mountaineering enthusiast overcomes his inner fear and escapes with a broken arm after being crushed by a boulder. story.
Once the safety net of modern technology goes down, it is very likely that there will be horror disaster scenes in the movies, such as floods pouring in, cars floating on Wall Street, transformers exploding, electronic office systems fail to work, and we will be as awe of nature as our ancestors did. the power of. But maybe this sense of awe won’t last long, and when the floods recede, electricity is restored, and everything returns to normal, I’m afraid it won’t inspire any artwork.
In today’s society we often overlook the majesty and grandeur of nature. Technology makes people no longer fear nature, but know how to appreciate and use nature. Through technology, the thinkers of the British Enlightenment in southern England could see the rugged beauty of the Alps. With the outbreak of the Industrial Revolution, more and more people left the countryside and flocked to the cities. According to statistics, from 1700 to 1830, the number of urban residents has doubled. Artists’ creative interest also suddenly turned to the untamable nature, which to a certain extent reflected the turbulent life of people at that time.
When nature threatens our daily lives, people ignore it, leave it behind, ignore it, and recreate their imagined nature through gardening and painting. And when the threat diminishes, people will express fear of nature in their artistic creations. On the whole, nature has moved away from our modern technological life and hardly touches our hearts.
Sandy’s power makes us see the dangers of global warming. To a certain extent, can we arouse us to take certain actions on the venting of nature, realizing that we should not destroy nature any more, perhaps we need new works of art to stimulate people’s senses and wake up human beings.
