Arts & Culture
The Sublime in Romantic Landscape Painting
Quick fact
The sublime was famously theorized by Edmund Burke in 1757, who argued it arises from sensations of pain and danger—but when we are at a safe distance, those sensations become a source of delight.
Why this is interesting
You've seen a stormy sea or a vast mountain range and felt both terrified and exhilarated—that mixture of awe and fear is the sublime, the emotional core of Romantic landscape painting.