Post by chrisr07 on May 19, 2008 9:02:28 GMT -5
While there exists no set definition for Transcendentalism, the idea of it is best described through the writings of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The basic principle of Transcendentalism is being an individual in a society of conformists. Emerson speaks this truth in his essay Self-Reliance, "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist...Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." (Emerson 21) Emerson in particular believed that one must not be part of the flow, but must break away from the norm. His ideas are similar to another transcendentalist, Robert Frosts, in that both believed that you should make your own path instead of following the most traveled trail. Emerson also believed that nature is the only pure place in the world because it is the only aspect of the world that doesn't attempt to conform you. In Self-Reliance he says, "Nature is not slow to equip us in the prison-uniform of the party to which we adhere." (Emerson 23) His feelings about nature are so strong, that he actually says that all humans are connected with nature and each other through an over-soul, and only by connecting with this over soul can we truly transcend. Thoreau has much the same ideas as Emerson in that he too believes nature to be the untouched world, the the last pure aspect of planet Earth. He talks about how he actually lived in the woods to be free from all burdens and conformity of society. In his essay, Where I lived, and What I Lived For, he says, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life." (Thoreau 172). He says this because only in the woods can he find solitude from society. In his essay solitude, he states, "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. (Thoreau 205) To him, only in nature can he connect with the over-soul that Emerson values so highly. In Emerson's opinion, the true transcendentalist is able to live with solitude even in a conformed society. He says in his essay Self-Reliance, "It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. Transcendentalism deals with the mind and the individual. You must see beyond the conformity of society, if you hope to understand the universe. When we see dust and tree leaves on our door step after a wind storm, we become agitated. Thoreau embodies transcendental values because he considers these leftovers of the storm to be gifts from nature.
The picture that I believe best embodies the ideals of Transcendentalism is George McCord's Twilight on the Bridge. In it, dusk is breaking over a seemlingly lifeless tree with a man made bridge underneath it. The greatest transcendental aspect of the picture is the fact that it portrays an area of nature that appears to be secluded from all other parts. Emerson enjoys living in nature because he views it as his own private seclusion from the world. He says, "I have as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself." (Thoreau 201) A beautiful aspect of the painting is the contrast between the sun's fading light with the moon slowly becoming visible. The contrasting ideas and colors scream the power of nature in every way. Emerson admires the beauty of the planet in his essay Self-Reliance. He says, "The genesis and maturation of a planet, its poise and orbit, the bended tree recovering itself from the strong wind, the vital resources of every animal and vegetable, are demonstrations of the self-sufficing, and therefore self-relying soul." (Emerson 30) The fact that the tree appears to be dead, but is actually resting or "recovering" is a very transcendental idea. The last aspect that I thought made this artwork transcendental is the calmness of it. Thoreau not only admires the beauty of nature but the inherent peace that surrounds it. He says, "In the Tranquil landscape of the horizon, man beholds something as beautiful as his own nature." (Thoreau 205) The art embodies many significant aspects of transcendentalism through its glorification of nature and calmness.
The picture that I believe best embodies the ideals of Transcendentalism is George McCord's Twilight on the Bridge. In it, dusk is breaking over a seemlingly lifeless tree with a man made bridge underneath it. The greatest transcendental aspect of the picture is the fact that it portrays an area of nature that appears to be secluded from all other parts. Emerson enjoys living in nature because he views it as his own private seclusion from the world. He says, "I have as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself." (Thoreau 201) A beautiful aspect of the painting is the contrast between the sun's fading light with the moon slowly becoming visible. The contrasting ideas and colors scream the power of nature in every way. Emerson admires the beauty of the planet in his essay Self-Reliance. He says, "The genesis and maturation of a planet, its poise and orbit, the bended tree recovering itself from the strong wind, the vital resources of every animal and vegetable, are demonstrations of the self-sufficing, and therefore self-relying soul." (Emerson 30) The fact that the tree appears to be dead, but is actually resting or "recovering" is a very transcendental idea. The last aspect that I thought made this artwork transcendental is the calmness of it. Thoreau not only admires the beauty of nature but the inherent peace that surrounds it. He says, "In the Tranquil landscape of the horizon, man beholds something as beautiful as his own nature." (Thoreau 205) The art embodies many significant aspects of transcendentalism through its glorification of nature and calmness.
