Llyn Treweryn 1912

Augustus John captured this landscape of Llyn Treweryn with oil on canvas, presenting a scene dominated by water, land, and sky. The lake, a deep blue expanse, is flanked by rolling hills beneath a vast sky filled with billowing clouds. Consider the cloud motif. Throughout art history, clouds have been used to convey divine presence or spiritual awakening. In Renaissance paintings, they often accompany celestial beings, signaling sacred moments. Here, the clouds evoke a sense of the sublime, a concept that has roots in Longinus, and was revived in the 18th century. It represents the powerful force of nature, and the human response to its magnitude: a combination of awe and terror. In this context, Llyn Treweryn does not merely depict a landscape, but hints at emotional states. It is suggestive of the human soul mirrored in the vastness of nature. This painting invites us to contemplate our place within the world, connecting us to centuries of artists and thinkers who have sought to capture the profound interplay between the inner self and the external world.