It is noted by C.S.Lewis in his Abolition of Man that two tourists gaze upon a waterfall; one calls it “sublime” and the other calls it “pretty.”

 

Originally from The Control of Language by Alex King and Martin Ketley, Lewis uses the pseudonym “The Green Book” and addresses the tourists with the names Gaius and Titius for the purpose of protecting anonymity (unfortunately I have ruined the mystery for you :/). Now, as explained by Michael Ward, unless this particular tourist was in a rush to move on with his life or just had a very limited vocabulary, deeming the waterfall as simply “pretty” diminishes the intrinsic value of its beauty and leads Lewis (as well as me) to question: What is the sublime??

 

Exploring the sublime in the art world is difficult to define. Twenty thousand people flock to the Sistine Chapel every day to see Michelangelo’s grand fresco of expertly painted human figures, dramatic scenes, and extravagant arched windows. Other than the congregation of sweaty tourists, one could not help but call it sublime. On the other hand, Caravaggio’s works show beheading, blood, crucifixion, yet there is some feeling of awe as one looks at his paintings. The Scream by Edvard Munch is recognized as the peak interpretation of expressionism. It is disturbing, but striking. It defies the conventional definition of aesthetic beauty, but does this discount his art from the sublime? Lewis implores us that there is some level of objective beauty that humans can recognize, however, if we lose this sense of the sublime, man will abolish himself. To take a 21st century perspective, I would like to further Lewis’ argument: If we forget what it means to appreciate beauty and merely focus on material riches or advancing AI to the point of replacement, we will lose the part of life that enriches the soul. 

 

At The Luminist, my objective is to shed light on the artistic feats of humanity, that is to offer you, dear reader, a way to explore the sublime, be curious, and truly appreciate beauty in a way you may not recognize in your day-to-day life because, as Dostoevsky puts it: “Beauty will save the world!”

​

-Anna