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What Friedrich Can Teach Us About The Sublime

Shawn Grenier | The Canvas

125K views 5 years ago

Warm-up Questions

When you hear the word “the sublime,” what kinds of places or experiences do you think of?
What do you already know about Friedrich and his paintings (if anything)?
Do you think art can teach us how to see nature differently? Why or why not?

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What Friedrich Can Teach Us About The Sublime

Lesson 1: The sublime in nature (and also in ruins) (00:00 – 04:37)

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1. According to the speaker, where do Friedrich’s paintings often show the sublime?

Mostly in animals and hunting scenes
Mostly in city life and crowds
Mostly in portraits of famous leaders
Mostly in nature (trees, mountains, sky)

2. In the example of “two figures contemplating the moon,” what idea does the moon represent besides its size?

Its ability to predict the weather
Its brightness compared to the sun
Its importance for farming schedules
Its relative timelessness

3. Why does the speaker say ruins (like abandoned structures) can feel sublime?

They are smaller than nature, so they feel safe
They prove humans can build perfectly forever
They show that history is easy to understand
They confront us with mortality and insignificance

What Friedrich Can Teach Us About The Sublime

Lesson 2: Vastness and being overwhelmed by scale (04:37 – 06:51)

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1. How does the speaker define “vastness”?

The amount of unobstructed space you can see
The number of details visible in a landscape
The height of an object compared to a person
The distance between two mountains

2. Which pairing matches the speaker’s description of Friedrich’s paintings?

Both paintings mainly depict the vastness of the sky only
“The Monk by the Sea” = vastness of sea/sky; “Wanderer above a sea of fog” = vastness of land
“The Monk by the Sea” = vastness of forests; “Wanderer above a sea of fog” = vastness of cities
Both paintings mainly depict the vastness of the ocean only

3. What does seeing vast, uncharted territories make the speaker realize?

That your own world is tiny and insignificant compared to the actual world
That the world is mostly empty and useless
That travel is always dangerous
That modern maps are not reliable

What Friedrich Can Teach Us About The Sublime

Lesson 3: The sublime is subjective (and why we might enjoy it) (06:51 – 09:10)

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1. What is the speaker’s main claim about the sublime?

It is an objective characteristic of certain landscapes
It is a subjective experience of the viewer
It is only created by religious belief
It exists only in art museums

2. What evidence does the speaker point to in the paintings shown?

Every painting focuses on a close-up of a face
Every painting shows a city in the background
Every painting has at least one figure contemplating
Every painting contains written explanations

3. Why does the speaker think we might enjoy the sublime?

Because it readjusts our perspective and may help us break free from modern alienation
Because it makes us forget history completely
Because it proves we are more important than nature
Because it helps us make more money

What Friedrich Can Teach Us About The Sublime

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1. Across the video, which idea best connects nature, ruins, and vast landscapes to the sublime?

They are all examples of perfect order and control
They are all places where people go to compete
They can make humans feel overwhelmed, small, and powerless
They are all expensive to visit

2. What is the difference (in the speaker’s view) between “nature’s greatness” and “vastness”?

There is no difference; they mean the same thing
Greatness is subjective; vastness is always objective
Greatness is about weather; vastness is about time
Greatness is about permanence and huge things; vastness is about unobstructed scale/space

3. What question does the speaker find more important than “why we experience the sublime”?

Why we enjoy experiencing it
Which country has the most sublime places
How to sell sublime paintings
When the word “sublime” was invented

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

What Friedrich Can Teach Us About The Sublime

Do you agree that the sublime is a subjective experience and cannot exist without a viewer? Why?
Think of a place you’ve been that felt “vast.” What exactly made it feel that way (sky, sea, land, silence, distance, etc.)?
Why might people enjoy feeling small or insignificant sometimes? When can it be healthy, and when might it be harmful?
Can human-made things (bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, ruins) be as sublime as nature? Give examples and explain.