Truth Found Through Nature, By Ralph Waldo Emerson

In my drawing, “Truth Found Through Nature”, I vividly express the ideals of Romanticism through certain colors and concepts. Shown in my drawing, a man walking is challenged to make a choice depending on his own conscience and intuition. The left path will take him to the corruptions and distractions of society, represented by the grotesque colors that do not complement each other. The right path will take him into the serenity of nature, represented by calm, complimenting colors that bring a sense of well-being and oneness to the viewer. By choosing to stray away from society and seek truth, freedom, and individualism, he shows that he is a true romantic and he reflects the message from the essay “Self-Reliance” written by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
When the man chooses the simple path, he finds himself one with nature and God. Most people are drawn to the bright lights, greed and colors of the city, and for this reason they do express their true self in society. The man chooses the path with the simple colors of nature and finds himself through his intuition. In the essay “Nature”, written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, there are similarities found throughout the text in relation to my drawing. While writing about the importance of a man being alone in nature, Emerson writes, “The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.” (542). In relation to my drawing, this quote means that by choosing the path of nature, the man has not only become one with nature, but one with himself. He has escaped from his sorrows and flaws in society and welcomed his true self back into the world. My drawing, “Truth Found Through Nature”, I express Transcendentalism through the mans decision to take the path of nature to find his true inner