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Emanuel Swedenborg's Aesthetic Philosophy and Its Impact on Nineteenth-Century American Art
- Toronto Journal of Theology
- University of Toronto Press
- Volume 28, Number 1, Spring 2012
- pp. 105-124
- 10.1353/tjt.2012.0006
- Article
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American art in the nineteenth century had a close affinity with God. By mid-century this led landscape artists in particular to espouse the views of John Ruskin, who encouraged artists to find the divine in the minute details of nature. They found their calling by rendering disciplined representations of nature. On the other hand, Swedenborg's theology and aesthetic philosophy called artists to a different vision. The artists who found it sought to show the spiritual—living reality—not so much through nature as through the force behind it. Nature clothes spirit, and they used light, shade, and colour to "unveil" spirit. Elements of Swedenborg's theology that shape an implicit aesthetic philosophy are outlined. The application of this philosophy in the works of four visionary artists is discussed: Hiram Powers, William Page, George Inness, and Ralph Albert Blakelock.