The Sublime in America

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course examines the transformation of European philosophical and aesthetic notions of the sublime and the beautiful into a distinctly American aesthetic. By considering eighteenth-century philosophical writings on the Sublime, major American 19th-century paintings, and literary selections, we will explore ways in which Americans embraced Nature as a symbol of the Sublime (Divine), and the implications of this for American character and national destiny. If possible, there will be field trips to the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. For more information about this and other courses in the Department of Art and Art History, please visit https://art.georgetown.edu This course is not available to audit.