Post by davep02 on May 19, 2008 8:25:06 GMT -5
Asher Durand’s Kindred Spirits
To define transcendentalism, one must search deep inside themselves and immerse themselves in nature and solitude to become one with the universe. To be transcendental, the person must exceed society’s ideology and norms and enter solitude to think originally. As said by Emerson in his essay “Self Reliance,” “whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist… The great man is one who in midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude” (21-23). Emerson believes one must truly think and act creatively within society. If a person conforms to society, they can never find themselves and are not learning or experiencing anything. Emerson further expands upon his belief in originality by explaining that it is not enough just to read texts from others; one must expand from the text to create your own ideas. Emerson states in his essay on “The American Scholar”, “When he can read God directly, the hour is too precious to be wasted in other men’s transcripts of their readings” (4). Emerson wants man to create their own texts instead of just analyzing other men’s ideas. Consistent with Emerson, Thoreau emphasizes the necessity of reverting to solitude and nature for a person to find themselves and to connect with God and nature which form their universal soul. When a person taps into their universal soul, the person becomes related to all men and nature synonymously. Also, when a person attains solitude, they feel their oversoul which is part of the universal soul and it provides peace for the being. The oversoul also allows a person to use their sixth sense which is intuition. In Thoreau’s “Where I lived and what I lived for”, he explains “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived”(172). Thoreau explains that he went to live in solitude in the woods to live life meaningfully by finding himself rather than living within society’s limits and laws. Also, in his “Pond in Winter,” Thoreau wrote, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads” (315). Thoreau emphasized his belief that man needs to look at the present and enjoy it, and not just look into the future.
The artist that stood out as most transcendental was Asher B. Durand. In his painting, Kindred Spirits, Durand depicts himself, with another man, on a rocky ledge in a peaceful and natural scene within the middle of nature. There is a canyon with a running stream with the Catskill mists shining. In the center stands a broken tree stump which Cole called a "memento mori" or reminder that life is delicate and temporary. It also reminds people that only nature and God within the human soul are eternal. Although the people in the picture are small, they are illuminated by the majesty of the landscape. The people are in solitude and seem to be in harmony with nature. The scene also reminds the viewer of a higher power through the beauty of nature and the immensity of the mountains. The men are in solitude which reflects part of transcendentalism because Emerson and Thoreau believed that a person can only find themselves in solitude and nature. Also, when the men achieve physical and mental solitude, they can attain their oversoul which provides them with peace. Overall, this painting from Durand was extremely transcendental through its focus on nature and solitude.
To define transcendentalism, one must search deep inside themselves and immerse themselves in nature and solitude to become one with the universe. To be transcendental, the person must exceed society’s ideology and norms and enter solitude to think originally. As said by Emerson in his essay “Self Reliance,” “whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist… The great man is one who in midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude” (21-23). Emerson believes one must truly think and act creatively within society. If a person conforms to society, they can never find themselves and are not learning or experiencing anything. Emerson further expands upon his belief in originality by explaining that it is not enough just to read texts from others; one must expand from the text to create your own ideas. Emerson states in his essay on “The American Scholar”, “When he can read God directly, the hour is too precious to be wasted in other men’s transcripts of their readings” (4). Emerson wants man to create their own texts instead of just analyzing other men’s ideas. Consistent with Emerson, Thoreau emphasizes the necessity of reverting to solitude and nature for a person to find themselves and to connect with God and nature which form their universal soul. When a person taps into their universal soul, the person becomes related to all men and nature synonymously. Also, when a person attains solitude, they feel their oversoul which is part of the universal soul and it provides peace for the being. The oversoul also allows a person to use their sixth sense which is intuition. In Thoreau’s “Where I lived and what I lived for”, he explains “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived”(172). Thoreau explains that he went to live in solitude in the woods to live life meaningfully by finding himself rather than living within society’s limits and laws. Also, in his “Pond in Winter,” Thoreau wrote, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads” (315). Thoreau emphasized his belief that man needs to look at the present and enjoy it, and not just look into the future.
The artist that stood out as most transcendental was Asher B. Durand. In his painting, Kindred Spirits, Durand depicts himself, with another man, on a rocky ledge in a peaceful and natural scene within the middle of nature. There is a canyon with a running stream with the Catskill mists shining. In the center stands a broken tree stump which Cole called a "memento mori" or reminder that life is delicate and temporary. It also reminds people that only nature and God within the human soul are eternal. Although the people in the picture are small, they are illuminated by the majesty of the landscape. The people are in solitude and seem to be in harmony with nature. The scene also reminds the viewer of a higher power through the beauty of nature and the immensity of the mountains. The men are in solitude which reflects part of transcendentalism because Emerson and Thoreau believed that a person can only find themselves in solitude and nature. Also, when the men achieve physical and mental solitude, they can attain their oversoul which provides them with peace. Overall, this painting from Durand was extremely transcendental through its focus on nature and solitude.