Transcendental Symbolism

Description

This painting is an imaginary landscape I created, initially in a much smaller size, when I was using up some extra paint. I later decided to make this large version. It is rooted in the thinking of the Hudson River School which was the dominant philosophy of landscape painting in nineteenth century America. Deeply entwined in Hudson River School thinking are the transcendental views of nature espoused by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism believed in the purity and goodness of nature and subjective intuition over empirical observations, contrasting with the dominant empirical representation of the day. Along those lines, Symbolism, was a European philosophy that influenced many areas of expression. It also was a reaction against the objectivist aims of the Realist movement. In contrast to the relatively concrete representation Realism sought, Symbolism favored works based on fantasy and the imagination. This painting reflects my exploration to create an intuitive imaginary landscape rather than one purely observed.