Lecture: Mountains and the Quest for the Sublime – Dr Andrea Bubenik

Invoking fear and awe, inspiring us to ascend and transcend, mountains are crucial to the idea of the sublime. From the magic and holy mountains portrayed by novelist Thomas Mann and filmmaker Alejandor Jodorowsky, to the role of mountaineering in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, these sites of elevation have long been catalysts for some of the most dramatic scenes of human contemplation and endeavour. In this lecture I will focus on the special role of mountains to a history of art and the sublime, and especially the fascinating dialogue between Eugene von Guerard’s Mount Kosciusko (1883) and Imant Tillers’ Mount Analogue (1985), shown together for the first time at HOTA.

Image credit: Installation view of Mount Analogue by Imants Tillers photographed by Charlie Hillhouse.