sublime
An 18th century aesthetic category concerned with aspects of Nature and Art (e.g. ruggedness, vastness, overwhelming grandeur, etc., emphasizing Man’s relative insignificance in the face of Nature) affecting the mind with an intense sense of irresistible power, terror, and awe, inspiring lofty emotions, and stimulating the imagination. It was therefore distinct from the Beautiful and the Picturesque (though some have seen the latter as a synthesis of the Beautiful and the Sublime), and was of profound importance in relation to an appreciation of the visceral violence of natural phenomena and rugged, mountainous scenery, with massive waterfalls, etc… (Curl & Wilson, 2016) (Durkin, 2007)