NOTES ON THE CONCEPT OF WONDER APPLIED TO PAINTING
The word wonder has its roots in various North European languages. A range of vocabulary has developed to express the experience of wonder (wonderment) and its associations with (1) natural phenomena, (2) the appearance of things/object and (3) the spiritual/nuministic. This range of vocabulary includes the following: the harbouring of a sense of magic and mystery; the awe-inspiring, amazing, astonishing and miraculous; the marvellous, over-whelming, spectacular, dramatic and breath-taking; the unaccountable, improbable, bewitching and dazzling; to excite curiosity and to perplex the brain; and the experience of great beauty and loveliness in the material natural world. The experience of wonder can also be beyond words, which presents an exciting challenge to visual artists, who seek to capture the evocative, thought-provoking and profound.