Immanuel Kant "The Analytic of the Sublime"
Immanuel Kant brings up the idea of the Sublime--a word that I once thought had to do with some sort of slime substance before learning about it. Either that or a Punk Rock or heavy metal band...
What "sublime" really is, however, is something that can't be determined by the senses, only the mind. It also has the ability to make a person greater and bring them to an all-time high.
It seems to me as though it is instigated by a single experience or a series of awe-inducing experiences. Such an example includes witnessing a feat such as Tight-Rope-Walking the World Trade Center's Twin Towers(as witnessed in the "Man on Wire" DVD), or I'd even say being in the midst of a moshpit at a concert.
What quells the sublime, however, is fear. If there is fear involved in the act--be it fear-inducing to the participant or the viewer, then the sublime is lost.
The only objection to Kant's writings are that he believes art cannot be sublime. This, for me, is very hard to believe. Art is what inspires people to go to art school, it strikes awe in people, and it also possesses the ability to strike fear into onlookers. How do all those things NOT make them sublime?
In my experience(despite the many arguments on the Mens Bathroom wall in our Studios), certain Japanese anime is what inspired me to attend an art school and decide to partake in the creation of such work. In my college entrance essay, I was close to describing the style as "godly works of art," but my high school teacher wisely suggested against it.
If such artworks are not considered sublime, despite that they have such an effect, then what IS sublime?
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I really liked your claim that the experience of being in a mosh pit at a concert might constitute a sublime experience. I would, however, point out in regard to your statement that the sublime is an experience of the mind and not the senses that the senses are nonetheless part of the experience. It is the overwhelming of the senses that then lead to the subsequent mental experience of the sublime. Your questioning of Kant on his exclusion of art from the list of sublime experiences is justified in my opinion.
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