Endless Art and Nature

I could definitely relate to the idea of the “feeling of immortality of youth” that Hazlitt discusses in his essay – with my entire life ahead of me I rarely ever think of death and even though I’ve narrowed down my area of study I still feel like there are countless opportunities out there fore me to explore. I thought his notion that this leads to becoming one with nature particularly intriguing. Hazlet also conflates art and nature similarly to the picturesque for both are characterized as timeless and unending. It struck me that this notion is also a sort of illusion, for even the Rembrandt painting that he references will eventually decay, and though scientists didn’t have as great of an understanding about the planet as we do now, the idea of the end of the earth at least in the form of judgment day still existed. Just like he argues that youth creates an abstract illusion of unending life, Hazlet constructs these ideas of abstract art and nature that are separate from the paintings or the golden sun and azure sky before him.