
The Sublime in the Visual Culture of the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Republic
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 30. July 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-1-032-37588-5 (ISBN)
Description
Contrary to what Kant believed about the Dutch (and their visual culture) as "being of an orderly and diligent position" and thus having no feeling for the sublime, this book argues that the sublime played an important role in seventeenth-century Dutch visual culture.
By looking at different visualizations of exceptional heights, divine presence, political grandeur, extreme violence, and extraordinary artifacts, the authors demonstrate how viewers were confronted with the sublime, which evoked in them a combination of contrasting feelings of awe and fear, attraction and repulsion. In studying seventeenth-century Dutch visual culture through the lens of notions of the sublime, we can move beyond the traditional and still widespread views on Dutch art as the ultimate representation of everyday life and the expression of a prosperous society in terms of calmness, neatness, and order.
The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual culture, architectural history, and cultural history.
The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0) 4.0 International license. Funded by Ghent University.
By looking at different visualizations of exceptional heights, divine presence, political grandeur, extreme violence, and extraordinary artifacts, the authors demonstrate how viewers were confronted with the sublime, which evoked in them a combination of contrasting feelings of awe and fear, attraction and repulsion. In studying seventeenth-century Dutch visual culture through the lens of notions of the sublime, we can move beyond the traditional and still widespread views on Dutch art as the ultimate representation of everyday life and the expression of a prosperous society in terms of calmness, neatness, and order.
The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual culture, architectural history, and cultural history.
The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0) 4.0 International license. Funded by Ghent University.
Reviews / Votes
"Bussels and Van Oostveldt convincingly characterize how the sublime could manifest in the Dutch Republic, providing a real or imagined visual experience for their viewers. The authors provide a strong case for adding the sublime into the lexicon for analyzing Dutch visual culture."-- Renaissance Quarterly
""[This book] consider[s] how viewers regard art works, both visually and through haptic experience; and how viewers respond, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually, through related ideas."
-- Religion and the Arts (v.28), Brill.com
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Postgraduate and Undergraduate
Illustrations
55 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 25 Farbfotos bzw. farbige Rasterbilder, 25 farbige Abbildungen, 55 s/w Abbildungen
25 Halftones, color; 55 Halftones, black and white; 25 Illustrations, color; 55 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 246 mm
Width: 174 mm
Weight
380 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-032-37588-5 (9781032375885)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Stijn Bussels | Bram Van Oostveldt
The Sublime in the Visual Culture of the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Republic
Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
€215.41
Shipment within 10-20 days

Stijn Bussels | Bram Van Oostveldt
The Sublime in the Visual Culture of the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Republic
E-Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Taylor & Francis
€0.00
Available for download

Stijn Bussels | Bram Van Oostveldt
The Sublime in the Visual Culture of the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Republic
E-Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Taylor & Francis
€0.00
Available for download
Persons
Stijn P.M. Bussels is Professor of Art History and Head of the Department of Art History at Leiden University Centre of the Arts in Society.
Bram Van Oostveldt is Associate Professor at the Department of Art, Music and Theatre Studies at Ghent University.
Bram Van Oostveldt is Associate Professor at the Department of Art, Music and Theatre Studies at Ghent University.
Content
Introduction Part 1 1. Hupsos: Franciscus Junius and the Reception of On the Sublime 2. Sublimis and le merveilleux: Dramatizing, Performing, and Picturing Phaethon's Fall Part 2 3. Vreese Godts: The Sublime and the Disappearance of God 4. Sublime Landscapes and Seascapes Part 3 5. Magnificence: The Politics of Architecture 6. The Medusean Gaze: Terror and the Sublime 7. Wonder by Touch Conclusion