After viewing a wide range of artworks at the NSW Art Gallery, the one that made the strongest impression on me was Eugene Von Guerard’s painting “Milford Sound” as it captures the sublimity of nature brilliantly. This painting amplified my understanding of Romanticism as it dismisses Enlightenment ideals that focused on scientific reason and hierarchal status, but rather depicts the sublimity of nature. This notion of nature being superior and powerful was a typically Romantic concept.

I was instantly mesmerised by the vastness of the landscape Von Geurard has painted. My eyes were drawn to the salience of the lake, and then my eyes wandered up the mountains and into the sky. These layered elements of nature intensify the capacity of the landscape, accentuating its sublimity and thus our inferiority as humans who are minuscule in comparison to the immensity of the landscape. The large mountains that stand tall and seemingly reach into the sky remind us humans of our place in the world, humbling us into realising our subservience to nature. Also, the soft colours deliberately chosen by Von Guerard, such as gentle hues of purple, blue and grey further establish the beauty of nature which was a core theme in the works of Romantic-era writers. Furthermore, the wide shot used to capture the extensiveness of the scenery highlights the infinite quality of nature, alluding to its transcendence as the scenery extends beyond the confinements of the artwork’s small frame, suggesting that the beauty and superiority of nature is beyond human comprehension. This alludes to Romantic ideas of nature being sublime and evoking a sense of wonder and awe from the viewer.

Overall, my “virtual” excursion to the NSW Art Gallery profoundly deepened my understanding of literary themes such as Romantic ideas of nature. This was achieved by appreciating a multitude of artworks, specifically Eugene Von Guerard’s ‘Milford Sound’ which evoked a highly emotive response and stimulated a deep appreciation for the natural world.

After studying William Wordsworth in class, it is clear that his poetry has a recurring theme. This is the notion that humanity has become too concerned with materialistic desires and trends, and as a result we have lost our connection with the natural world. This is particularly evident in Wordsworth’s sonnet ‘The World is too much with us’ where we are told that “we lay and waste our powers” when we engage with material rather than nature. This poem was written in the 19th century, yet personally I feel it has even more relevance in a contemporary 21st century. As new materialistic objects are designed, and as technology advances, we continue to lose touch with nature more and more, and the spirituality and wisdom that comes from engaging with nature becomes less attainable.

A line that really stuck out to me in ‘The World is too much with us’ is when the persona says “little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon”. Here the persona is condemning society for not spending more of our time in Nature and not seeing it’s value, but rather focusing our energy on consumerist ideals. Wordsworth’s choice of words in “sordid boon” was interesting to me as this is an oxymoron. “Sordid” meaning immoral and dishonourable, and “boon” meaning something that is helpful and beneficial. Personally, I think that this contradiction alludes to the conflict between human potential being overridden by selfishness and greed. This notion profoundly applies to current society as many of us continue to waste our time with monotonous routine in order to reach shallow and superficial goals. Whilst I think that people can still learn from Wordsworth’s poetry, I wonder if the nature of society will ever really change.