Staring into the Sun, and Other Ways of Capturing Transcendence

The darkness is cold because the stars do not believe in each other. | Watch me bake impressionist food and see tons of other exclusive videos by joining Nebula at go.nebula.tv/jacob-geller
Watch my Nebula-exclusive baking video: nebula.tv/videos/jacob-geller...
Watch THIS video on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/jacob-geller...
Patreon: / jacobgeller
Twitter: / yacobg42
Merch: store.nebula.app/collections/...
Many of this video’s citations come from essays in the book “The Sun: Source of Light in Art” (2023). Specific authors and essays are cited at relevant times in the video.
'Three Days or more ...': Turner's Varnishing Day practice and the physical evidence (Rebecca Hellen, British Art Journal 2014):
Additional Footage from:
Zac Frazier: / @zacfrazier
DayDream Gaming: / @daydreamgamingtv
Media shown: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, The Last Guardian, Cyberpunk 2077, Minecraft, Fortnite, Dead Space (2023), Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Sunshine, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Teletubbies,
Music Used (Chronologically): Mattison’s Independence (Tears of the Kingdom), Bells of Laguna Bend (Cyberpunk 2077), Ambiguous (Rina Rinoa), Ruin Seeker (Tunic), The Weight of Rain (Tunic), Forest (The Last Guardian), The Tower (The Last Guardian), Hanging Gardens (The Last Guardian), Flashback (The Last Guardian), First Gate (Manifold Garden), The Arboretum (Manifold Garden), A Slow Realization (Papo & Yo), Light Dragon (Tears of the Kingdom), End Titles (The Last Guardian)
Additional music and sound effects from Epidemic Sound
Additional footage from Getty Images
Thumbnail and Graphic Design by / hotcyder
Description credit: Sunset after Rain by W. S. Merwin

[@JacobGeller]

If you've finished this video and need 30 more minutes of your life taken up by my ramblings, I highly recommend watching its companion video on Nebula. More sun talk, more impressionist thoughts, and at the end, there's a baked good! nebula.tv/videos/jacob-geller-making-impressionist-galettes-with-jacob-and-annie

[@jrk1666]

is tears of the kingdom the brightest zelda ?

[@strvmpet]

how tf you posted this 13 days ago what

[@seren3488]

​@@strvmpetprivated or unlisted vid

[@hesh7138]

You will never be able to escape the critics of your onion chopping skills

[@Guru_1092]

"And and"

[@spiderside3892]

"i dont want to give you a whole history of impressionism" jacob you have no idea how into that i would be. i want to hear you incredulously exclaim "this shit it wild" every few minutes of a two hour long lecture

[@voilatada3681]

Same

[@r.lum.r]

Yeah I was legit like… “Wait but I do want that if you happen to have it”

[@mr.cheese1865]

I guess you could say it's... Breath of the Wild?

[@Asharfox]

Please do this Mr geller

[@ACMaNNeN99]

Nebula special when?

[@annayoungs8889]

I appreciate how much beauty and wonder Jacob sees in the world

[@slorchman672]

How else would we get these amazing videos?

[@huzi990]

This video says it was uploaded 14 minutes ago but your comment is 16 hours old on the comment timer. What sorcery is this?!

[@olive4093]

Me too

[@dyorgewiltonspassos183]

​@@huzi990and his fixated comment is 13 days ago

[@probronzie]

whats good time traveller man

[@al.shahed]

The "ascension" bit is also very thematic in Hades. If you've finished the game you get similarly rewarded!

[@JacobGeller]

True!! Great connection

[@remjoleea5560]

That moment when you first beat the final boss and see the sun over Greece is my favorite of the whole game.

[@foxgender]

Just wanted to stop and say thank you, Jacob, for the flawless captions on your videos! I'm partially deaf and really enjoy the video essay format, but a lot of creators don't use captions (and if they do, it's auto-generated which is often inaccurate and choppy / unnatural), so I REALLY appreciate the accessibility you bring to all of your videos :) I love your content, so thank you again!

[@tortis6342]

Same here, my hearing is pretty good, but I almost definitely have an auditory processing disorder, so its very hard for me to understand speech without captions. Jacob Geller's captions are very accurate and funny.

[@skullempty5851]

i second this in its entirety !! im also deaf and jacob's captions are amazing!!!! on my hands and knees begging for other content creators to follow suit

[@TheJan]

yall inspiring me to include it in my workflow

[@Feverm00n]

Agreed

[@badger6882]

Jacob is in his cooking era and it’s leading to a lot of “let him cook” moments

[@steveishere8808]

At this rate, I hope Jacob Geller never STOPS cooking! I probably hope in vain, but we might as well let him cook while we can

[@Illjustwait]

He's become too powerful, he literally has him cooking a delicious meal as the companion video to this.

[@tortis6342]

@@steveishere8808 Cooking is like Pandora's box, only it's full of delicious baked goods and fragrant spices. Once you've opened it you will never be able to stop cooking completely..

[@armageddon7432]

buddy the stove is never off for him

[@Natalie-101]

Uh oh, Jacob uploaded again. Time to cry about the beauty, wonder, and deeper meaning to be found in a game I've never played

[@XpRnz]

Treat yourself to the experience that is Tears of the Kingdom, it's a true work of art!

[@Boomblox5896]

@@XpRnz TotK is more likely to be played by the layman than The Last Guardian though. I haven't played The Last Guardian but I almost clocked in 200 hours in Tears of the Kingdom by now.

[@aTinBird]

here I am crying about trico and otto piene

[@Magicwithizz]

Same man same

[@warandpoetry9542]

I remember when I was a teenager, my school went caving in the Yorkshire dales. For those that don’t know, the dales are and expanse of vast, sweeping hills and rock strewn valleys. That day, I had spent hours underneath them, crawling in the wet and the dark, illuminated only by a pale blue torch. I remember we came upon a small pond in a cavern, the first area we’d been in all day where we weren’t constricted in some way. We crawled up a narrow, rising passage way on the other side and I saw something that at first I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. It was a flower, burning red, growing under a crack of sunshine. In that moment, after hours of the dark, It was impossibly beautiful. It was only surpassed by what I saw after I scrambled up the rocks and pulled myself out of an inconspicuous hole in the middle of a field; the sky, the world, suddenly so much vaster and brighter than it ever was before, so bright it was like it was singing to me. My classmates just walked on like it was nothing. I wanted to grab them and cry out “Don’t you see it?!”. I wanted to collapse to the ground and weep. I didn’t though, I was 13 and I didn’t want to look weird. The feeling never left me though.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

I have visited a few caves, though maybe not something as intensive or intense, but honestly, I get it. After spending times in dim light, getting outside is always something special

[@8MellyBelly8]

I'm reminded of reading how someone described the way Ghibli characters cry representing the way it *feels* to cry, not necessarily how it looks. Zelda, the Last Guardian, and impressionistic paintings play with light in ways that may not be literally visually accurate/realistic, but they are often emotionally accurate. The sunsets in Zelda are what sunsets *feel* like, they're what you imagine or remember a sunset looking like when you close your eyes. And tapping into that emotional accuracy can often times before more impactful or ressonant (at least personally) than technical accuracy.

[@chriss780]

Now that you say that it makes so much sense why there stylizations work and are so recognizable yet feel so grounded at the same time.

[@Wooden_Catheter]

There’s no feeling like clicking on a new Jacob Geller video knowing full well it’s all I’m going to think about for the next week

[@z4ynah33]

Real

[@cycoekiller119]

on god

[@vanleeuwenhoek]

All?

[@alex-bog]

Goated profile pic

[@minimayers]

I'll think about this video... a lot

[@purplehaze2358]

As someone who lives in the desert hellscape of Arizona, my relationship with the sun is very love-hate. Like, it's gorgeous sometimes, and it's a pretty big reason why life on this planet even exists; but also, it's a deadly laser and I can't go outside for more than 20 minutes at a time without risking getting a heatstroke.

[@steveishere8808]

🎶THE SUN IS A DEADLY LASER 🎶

[@d47000]

Living in Michigan and not seeing the sun for what felt like months at a time was just crushing. I think I had seasonal depression before I moved to Tempe. I'll take the three months of hellish weather over a Midwest winter any day of the week!

[@Crowald]

Part of the beauty, in my opinion. Despite being so indifferent and uncaring, it's the object that gives us life. We exist not because of its grace, but because it simply exists. We're all a miracle.

[@Bluecho4]

Texan here. Same.

[@Howdy580]

I lived in a dense forest with intense factory smog and blizzards in northern Utah for a year and saw the sun just about once a month. After I moved back to New Mexico after I saw the sun again the first morning back and I cried and cried. Now it’s gotten a bit more love-hate so I feel you. I love the sky here probably more than anything but the sun can make it pretty impossible to leave the house.

[@mintjaan]

Turner's painting Mortlake Terrance ( 8:26 ) has a cutout of a dog that was pasted on it by another artist I order to sabotage him. On Varnishing Day, he simply incorporated the dog into the painting.

[@JacobGeller]

WOW did not know that, that rules

[@LunarLemonade]

​@@JacobGeller Small detail, but it probably wasn't "sabotage". We have conflicting accounts, but it was added on varnishing day, either by Turner himself or by Edwin Landseer, who admired him. Maybe Turner placed the cut-out dog, and Landseer put it back after it fell off? Turner had used a paper figure in The Golden Bough before. (It could still have been friendly "sabotage" though!)

[@Versailles18]

Never in a million years did I expect Jacob to start talking about the history of Brazilian Art, something I've studied for quite literally my entire life. It's weirdly satisfying to see someone you admire talking about your home country, specially such integral- yet unknown- parts of it's history.

[@Cat-ho2hi]

him mispronouncing "poente" and "do amaral" made me laugh a little bit, he gets a pass tho

[@greyfox4838]

This video reminds of that one scene in Journey, you know which one I'm talking about. The sun absolutely engulfs you as well as every stone and sand in your vicinity, turning every inch of the world into different hues of gold. It lasts only a few seconds, but it feels longer because you're holding your breath till the very end. It is still one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen in a video game (I have yet to play the Last Guardian sadly). Edit: yes, the sand surfing level

[@sazaki1999]

Is it when you're controlling the traveler sliding down the hill with the sun framing the mountain in the temple area?

[@twigcollins8785]

That moment was so beautiful it hit like a punch.

[@Doctor-Infinite]

Dude you just unlocked a core memory with this comment

[@iandonnelly6684]

You need to play the last guardian

[@danielstatler954]

The moment for me is when youre surfing on sand and you enter the half tunnel area where everything is gold. I cant tell if you mean that or the ending scene

[@100nodog]

Holy crap, Joseph Mallard William Turner, I did a paper on him for art class. He has the most beautiful landscapes, glad to see him get unconventional attention

[@LazerzZ]

It's honestly insane the way Jacob's videos have not only changed how I approach looking at video games and art in general within my own content, but how I approach the real world we live in. These videos are genuinely so important to me.

[@AlpacaLips39]

The moment you start talking about paintings is the moment we’re in for another solid Geller video.

[@thmistrapillay1811]

It's incredible how even a virtual sun can evoke a multitude of incredibly powerful emotions. Happiness, longing, rest, finality, empowerment and a great many other things

[@redrooster3420]

love this comment

[@clocktopus2643]

I remember one time playing totk, I hoverbiked up to the highest sky island in the game (directly above Lookout Landing) and stood there from sunset to sunrise thinking ‘God this is stunning’. I only wish I could’ve been there in real life, with someone by my side.

[@catdownthestreet]

I do this too, I just stop to stand in a place where the view is stunning and daydream for a bit

[@PointlesslyNecessaryConvos]

I’ve been replaying Red Dead Redemption 2 and there’s been so many moments where I just stop and look at the beautiful scenery.

[@caiomenudo]

Man, I feel honored seeing you mention Tarsila's work here. My parents have one original painting from her in their living room and it's probably one the most beaufitul pieces of art I've seen personally till this day. Needless to say that the reaction of that dude is on par to what they were seeing. She was amazing and I appreciate that. Also, haircut is looking good!

[@caiomenudo]

I honestly wasn't expecting it, and thought about her through the whole video.

[@JacobGeller]

an original??? holy shit that's amazing

[@godofmoogles1261]

The fact you did the entire section about paintings with oppressive sunlight drowning them out WHILE drowning out the shot with the sun behind you is perfection. Its what sets your videos apart from all others on the tube. Excellent work.

[@helixier6629]

I’ve stared the sun as a child a lot. My eyesight isn’t very good now but it was very fun!

[@percyblythe5443]

Ahhhh, The sun!

[@derpymule7977]

I did too, and it always confused me that people talked about it damaging eyes because it never did to me. I once stared at the sun for two minutes straight and the spots I saw went away after only a few hours.

[@alexbrown1050]

​@@derpymule7977your eyes were damaged permanently but the damage may not be evident until your eyes degrade further from age - always good to avoid looking right at it and sunglasses are also good

[@nahometesfay1112]

​@@derpymule7977Same maybe everyone else is too chicken. But fr we got lucky I really need to treat my eyes better...

[@spencermannan6075]

​@@derpymule7977I mean, maybe for a minute or two no harm is done But stare long enough and you'll get a tan on your eyes--and you don't want that

[@Scarwing]

This video really reminds me, that Art is the conduit through which humans can see each other.

[@redrooster3420]

oh... yeah

[@yam-ingtonjr7606]

so beautifully said

[@cogspace]

It seems impossible. It's the nearest thing to magic that exists.

[@redrooster3420]

you're going to make me cry because this comment is so lovely :') @@cogspace

[@SpookyouKnowIt23]

You sincerely are one of the best essayists working today, Jacob. Not just regarding gaming, just media, culture. How many videos about Zelda focus as much on Monet or Impressionism?

[@eyvahehyeh8927]

One of few "video game channels" whose videos one might actually recommend to non-gamers in many cases, methinks.

[@plastiquemonk]

im shocked you didn't say "the sun is a wondrous body" at any point in this or show solaire, the knight gone mad with admiration of the sun's searing beauty. still, loved every second of this, especially all the impressionist art pieces you included. yet another Jacob Geller W

[@B-019]

Yeah, I know that we don't HAVE to shoehorn Dark Souls into every conversation about games... But this is Solaire erasure lol.

[@plastiquemonk]

​@@B-019 oh absolutely agree we add that game to the conversation a bit too much on average but like....that one was starin us right in the eyes

[@gtrspctr]

When Jacob was talking about climbing the tower and finally coming up to see the sun, I immediately thought of the first time seeing Anor Londo.

[@km72327]

I have always loved taking pictures with the in-game camera in botw and totk, and it took this video to make me realize I like it because of how the sunlight shifts and tints the photos in different ways and makes them feel unique. Monet has his cathedral and I have my little video game

[@manateemadness2234]

Literally any time Jacob introduces a new artist or genre of art of anything of the sort I am suddenly filled with the desire to go see a bunch of them pieces like them in an art museum

[@Eukleides89]

The TLDR I’m taking way from this is that art direction matters infinitely more than the graphical fidelity race

[@heromedley]

its literally about a video about depictions of the sun through art yall have zero media literacy

[@user-ur8co1yn5l]

Why do so many people act as if graphical technology and art direction are somehow competing or opposites to each other? The technologies open up for more possibilities and you have creative control over where and how they should be used. Without graphical tech you wouldn't even have a game, you would have a black screen.

[@vortessence8607]

@@heromedley who is yall its 1 comment and you were the first reply. go about your day

[@toomuchglitters7254]

​​@@user-ur8co1yn5lthey're not at opposition per say, but art direction is leagues more important than technical power. Visually compelling games exist in 8 bit. As a matter of fact, some of the best looking games I've ever seen have used good old fashioned pixel art. The issue is that a whole lotta big company execs think that a good looking game only means hyper realistic graphics.

[@user-ur8co1yn5l]

@@toomuchglitters7254 If all games used pixel art then that style would get extremely boring really quickly. Same thing if all games used cell shading. I'm not making the argument that all games should look like cyberpunk 2077 overdrive or minecraft RTX but if there were no games like that then graphics as a whole would be more dull. Also, graphics can be appreciated for more than just aesthetics. The work that goes into certain graphical technologies and the breakthroughs that had to be made to achieve them make me more excited than something merely "looking good". Also also, when graphics are based on actual simulations (as opposed to hand-made animations, lighting, whatever), it allows for way more interaction with the rest of the game. You wouldn't get an ocean like in sea of thieves from a hand-made animation.

[@exosproudmamabear558]

We have lots of mountainous forests around my city so we go to picnic quite frequently. One of the most thing I like about going to a picnic is laying down on the picnic sheet and looking at the sunrays coming through the thick trees dancing on my face while listening to the birds. This is why when I get too stressed right before my important exams we always either go to a picnic or go to gathering mushrooms in the forests. So I feel a sense of peacefulness wash over me when I see a good lighting in a game whether it is the caustics underwater or sun-rays or the sunset. Those kinds of games that get me,etched into my memory without ever getting forgotten.

[@AdrielClaflin]

I seriously cannot thank you enough. I love zelda, impressionism, Gothic architecture. This essay nearly drove my to tears, but more importantly it drove me to set up my easle and pull out my oils and do a proper study which I've been too consumed my drudgery to do in months

[@filleis6374]

You know the Jacob Geller video is gonna be good when the title is just a short statement.

[@llDbGll]

I wonder if he will ever use a +30 word title to talk about something incredibly specific or just to fuck with us.

[@ramurosa7195]

Hi Jacob! I’m an art history fan and I rlly like Impressionism. For my last year of high school I wrote an essay on Berthe Morisot. She was a very skilled artist and a part of the impressionist group but she wasn’t remembered like many of her male counterparts. Therefore, I really appreciate the inclusion of one of her paintings in this video 🥲🥲🥲. Thank u sm for the video!!

[@DollFaceThornback]

Every time I watch/listen to a Jacob Geller video I feel the distinct urge to info dump about something, or to try to articulate why I love something. I talk a lot and I collect words like a dragon hoards gold, but I seldom find myself able to explain things in proper detail; I'll stumble over words and sounds, forget words necessary for understanding, and more often than not lose myself to the frustration of not being able to translate my thoughts into words. The same thing happens with writing. Jacob Geller, you inspire me to keep trying to find my voice and the words I need to be understood. Thank you.

[@seanaugagnon6383]

Your writing and general speech is so eloquent. You're talking about art, making art yourself through the words and tones.

[@joshuaskeeters9766]

I genuinely don’t know anyone who is able to express opinions and ideas the way you can. I get filled with emotion every time and this video had me on the brink of tears remembering the beauty of when I ended with trico at the top of that tower and when I retrieved the master sword atop Zelda’s head and genuinely didn’t know if she would return as a hylian but vowed to avenge her. you make art.

[@TheYoshieMaster]

I think Solar Sands and Patricia Taxxon are worth checking out if you like this kind of thing.

[@yotsubairl]

same. this guy talks the same way i feel

[@CrossbredManiac]

That visual you created by putting the scenes of the sky of The Last Guardian and Tears of the Kingdom was tear-jerking. I never got around to ToTK but goodness... It's almost an opposite of TLG. It's like seeing the darkness trying to crawl through the blinding light compared to light BURSTING through the other side. Wonderful job.

[@antisocialxconstruct]

this video had me thinking a lot about both Journey and Stray, which I would say have similarly aspirational relationships with the sun. Stray in particular does something really powerful by literally bookending the story with views of the open sky while making it explicitly inaccessible through the bulk of the game, and tying that sky visual both to themes of freedom and possibility but also loss and change, it has absolutely been one of those experiences that stuck with me permanently and still gets me emotional when I think back on it.

[@roramdin]

I am going to cry now! Brilliant video as always, you did a stellar job at capturing the overwhelming beauty I find in games like TOTK and TLG. Specifically for the Last Guardian, I find myself in a state of near spiritual yearning for the blanket of light and haze - the silken, diaphanous glow of the caldera and its inexplicable ruins. You constantly elevate the medium of the video essay and challenge my conceptions of what writing on games can be

[@Magicwithizz]

I’ve always been more of a lover and worshipper of the moon, but this is genuinely making me contemplate the beauty of the sun in a way I haven’t before. God I love these videos. They remind me of why living is beautiful. They’re nothing short of magical. I got into your content a few months ago, and for a while I was literally falling asleep to your essays and listening to them all day long. I was just so captured by the way you articulate your thoughts and bring a sense of wonder to existence. I want living to feel how I feel watching one of these videos. Full of joy, wonder, and love of being alive

[@insu_na]

Really love the color grade you used in your field shots. I don't think much needs to be said about the rest of the video, just brilliant as always.

[@JacobGeller]

thank you!

[@funeralpyreee]

jacob, your ability to see the light and love in many worlds never fails to move me.

[@NOWATCHDOG]

You know the videos gonna be good when the uploaders name starts with Jacob and ends with Geller

[@blackmere]

So real

[@stellaofnine]

Every one of your videos send me down several different rabbit holes. _Oh, I must read that essay. And that game looks awesome. Guess it's time to marvel at Gothic architecture!_ Thank you for sharing so many of your interests! Who needs mood boards when this channel exists

[@joaovitor9673]

The fascination that artists have with sun that you talked about in this video reminds of the story of Stanisław Szukalski. When he was a child he was so fond of the sun that he cant stop to stare at him, this eventually create a hole in his retina, making him forever with a black spot in his vision, which didnt stop him to become a sculptor

[@Fungoid]

I once saw a sunspot with the (arguably) naked eye. Wind blown snow on a freezing, cloudless day filtered the light to where it could be viewed with discomfort rather than injury. A random glance upward showed a few black specks on a yellow disk, specks many times larger than my whole world. It was one of the most special moments of my life. Thank you for reminding me.

[@ImNotAWitchImYourWIFI]

i always felt like that golden moment above the clouds in TOTK was her taking you straight to the sacred realm. its so golden and beautiful and while it does harken back to those older games, the feel of it really is sacred and unforgettable

[@kkaaiittlliinn]

my professor for a class focused on modern transatlantic sailing journeys assigned a national gallery video on turner’s “the fighting temeraire” and i immediately thought of this video. the burning sun, the way the light reflected off of the ships and the water, it’s breathtaking. this is one of my favorite videos of yours of all time

[@dutch3790]

I can't believe you didn't mention Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia in the cathedral segment. It seemed like the culmination of everything you were building towards- Gaudi's extreme religiousness, his insistence on blending natural light and beauty in an organic fashion (rather uncommon for his time), and the absolutely stunning interior of the structure, an absolutely divine spattering of multicolored light beaming through pillars meant to resemble giant trees. Fits both aesthetically and narratively into the script, in my opinion. I'm also biased since I wrote my college admission paper on it, but hey it's one of the most dazzling things mankind has ever conceived.

[@Amoechick]

I want to send this video to everyone. It the most articulate piece of media I’ve encountered that even comes close to explaining why I want to cry when I see the way the light hits the trees in a certain way, why I love watching the sun rise… why I would spend hours as a kid watching the sunrise illuminating Hyrule Castle in OoT.

[@TheGlooga]

Loved the art history! Also, a Jacob Geller video about The Last Guardian is always a good time

[@ventheplant]

I'm a college games student and an aspiring environment concept artist who's been watching your essays for a few years now, and it was genuinely fantastic to hear the way you described this fascination with color and light and the ways these elements interacted with your experiences of these games. I cannot express how much it resonated with me and my own goals of capturing light, colors, and feelings of awe and other emotions in the works that I create. This video will definitely be bouncing around in my brain for a bit and will probably be a piece of motivation for quite a while :^] For a game that doesn't actually really show you the sky, Disco Elysium has one of my favorite visual depictions of the sun in the few in-game illustrations it provides you. The painting of Harry Dubois on the Horseback Monument with the sun (and pale) blooming around him and the menu art create a powerful impression of the types of sights that the characters may be able to see in the world of the game, but we the players cannot see in the isometric view provided to us. And the scarcity of these images alongside their stylistic power creates this great sense of weight and awe for the world of Elysium and the Pale that lies on the horizon. 10/10 sky with 10/10 brushstrokes

[@amos6642]

I don't care about games, like at all, but Geller retoricol prowess is so enrapturing that I can't help but watch every single one of his videos.❤

[@betin731]

you should care about games. they're pretty awesome

[@gloam2428]

How did you end up finding his channel?

[@amos6642]

@@gloam2428 I was watching some art history thing and got the "who's afraid of modern art" video in my rekomendation, back when.

[@idontwantahandlethough]

There's something to be said for good lighting making up for subpar graphics. It's kinda crazy and it's not obvious until you've seen it, but even the best textures of all time look like crap if the lighting and stuff isn't right

[@bababooey724]

I really appreciate how swiftly he shifts from video games to paintings, really comparing both as equals, because they deserve it.

[@OldShatterham]

I still remember the ascent to the Wind Temple, launching from the last ship above the clouds and seeing the sun just creeping over the horizon, illuminating the sky in fiery orange. That view, paired with the music, was one of the most emotional moments in this game, literally bringing me to tears. I think this video captures the essence of that impression perfectly.

[@cycoekiller119]

Jacob, you need to stop making me cry. i dont think anyone has ever made me long for just a day to express myself like you do ever. every single word you drop just worms into my brain and sits there rotting it eternally. thank you and also what have you done to me

[@high.level.noob.]

The sun in Red dead redemption 2 is gorgeous. Sometimes I just stare at it and look in to the horizon for more than I would need to. It also helps that the game has insane graphics.

[@CarelessFoolFallsFlat]

I wish I'd been there for those varnishing sessions. The little I've seen of Turner's work is impressive, but I'll never experience the sheer chokehold these paintings seemed to have on those who viewed them.

[@StatementEnds]

I can’t help but be reminded of The Dawn Machine from Sunless Skies when discussing the paradoxical desire to stare directly at the sun.

[@partyinthecloudkingdom]

that shot of the last guardian's 6 seconds of true sky reminds me so much of your video essay on the matrix and its relationship with the sun

[@AK-el2en]

You genuinely make me look at things in my life in a different and more positive way, thank you.

[@shyawkward]

I've always seen graphical fidelity as a canvas and tools to make a scene. Though it help define a scene, similar to different methods of painting, graphical fidelity does not inherently make a scene. Graphical design is far more important in every single way and ToK is yet another example of our tools to make a scene are now more than enough to let an artist express their scene, but when said scene lacks passion, lacks a spark, lacks inspiration, the scene will never provoke excitement or awe.

[@fuumiku]

Similar experience to exiting a cave in Skyrim after exploring it and clearing its challenges, the dawn’s light hitting you just as the music starts anew… Very memorable

[@Wakkabutler]

Jacob is such a wordsmith. He has such a phenomenal way of articulating things. I don’t look at games under the same lens anymore. In fact, the way I look at any media I consume has changed because of his videos. Thanks Jacob.

[@laserfoxpro]

this guy could literally make a 2 hour video about paint drying and i’d watch it

[@arnvonsalzburg5033]

Well, I watched a 6 hour video about Boku no Natsuyasumi, so I fully agree :D

[@WhatsAMeadow4]

I'm only a few minutes into the video but thank you so much for detailing what spoilers you're going to talk about! I haven't beaten TotK (I'm putting off some main quests because maybe I don't want to finish...) but I have done the things you listed at the start, so it's really nice to feel like I can watch the video comfortably and appreciate it, without having to worry or put it off until next year when I finally bring myself to beat the game :)

[@natebabin3074]

The arrival at the city of Anor Londo(A place within the first Darksouls game), is another spectacular example of a moment of captivating sunlight , awe, and architectural beauty in video game history.

[@StarlightNkyra]

I remember a specific moment. I teleported, following a guide to my last shrine on a sky island. (Mayanas shrine (the ice guides you.)) It was a long, 300 hour long journey. Even in terms of sky islands, Mayanas shrine is probably the highest. I saw the upwards climb ahead of me and got out a zonai balloon, fire emitter, and sled. I started going up, and then it hit me. This was the last shrine. I would have no reason to return besides vehicle simulator and lame side quest mop ups, which I wasn't going to finish anyway. After this shrine, I was done. As this came to me, I decided to dawn the very first outfit I put together in the game (Rudania helm (I got it with amibo), with depths set for the rest.) I felt nostalgic, somehow. As I stared into the sun, balloon still ascending. It was more than breathtaking, as I felt a rush through my body and took a screenshot. Eventually, my balloons ran out mid way up, and I landed on a platform. The sky turned a ever slight lovely pink combined with a nice blue, the sky islands above adding to the shot. I took another Screenshot, and I knew immediately it was one you could turn into a gorgeous wallpaper. I could go on about the shrine and all, but I think that's the most memorable and relevant part. A game had never made me feel exactly that way before. Sure, I've felt nostalgia and had that rush when looking at somthing spectacular. But The latter I've never experienced in a game, and I've certainly never felt the two together before, pair that with the factor of the progression and that sense of completion, and you have something that can only widely be expressed through the medium, under very specific circumstances. What a special moment.

[@eyegnats]

This was a beautiful video to discover KZbin’s new mobile “UI glows the color of the video” update.

[@thevoid3062]

???

[@jayrett]

​@thevoid3062 I think he means the feature on desktop where the area surrounding the screen will swell and change color based on the brigtness and shade of what is on screen.

[@xero1134]

And here I was watching a dozen of your other videos for like the 5th time, always excited for more of your work!

[@alexandraburkot337]

when it comes to light, i always think of the dome of the hagia sophia, resting on top of forty windows, almost hanging suspended in the air. another fabulous video, jacob!

[@llDbGll]

The virgin "life is meaningless" nihilist vs the Chad "The world is beautiful and I must rejoice in its beauty, for life is ephemeral and my time is limited" Jacob Geller. All jokes aside, I absolutely love your content, Jacob. It drives me to take in joy from places I never considered before. From the grotesque, the natural, the abstract, the synthetic... Every single video you put out is a wild ride I'm willing to take every single time... And I'm delighted to see you enjoy what you do and talk about it. I don't usually cry, but that TOTK/TLG comparison scene just sent me to tears. Thank you so much for doing what you do.

[@ShadowXeneth]

Great music choices; the Tunic section in particular has a multiplicative effect on the impact of the Monet reveal; regardless of whether you already knew the origin of the term "Impressionist," (I did not!) the soundscape seared this section of the essay into my mind, leaving cognitive impressions that I'll be thinking about for days, like knife-bright afterimages from looking too closely at the sun.

[@xLethianx]

Dude! Have you ever checked out Sea of Thieves? I find myself just watching the sun, the waves and many of the beautiful lighting techniques used in this game. It's stunning.

[@redrooster3420]

oh same! i got lost in the sun and waves

[@Stephen-Fox]

Basically everything I know about that game is 'vomiting, monkeys, really good looking water'

[@xLethianx]

@@Stephen-Fox That does sum it up pretty well, yes xD

[@nettieb7604]

One of my earliest memories is wandering around the Tate Britain with my mum when I was 3-4 years old - staring at the Turners (one of his beautiful, chaotic sea scapes I think) she explained to me that “the darks make the light look brighter” It’s very simple, but it’s still stuck with me twenty years later

[@Enraric]

Reflecting on my own experience with the sun in the Breath duology - Geller is totally right, the sun and the sky are breathtaking in those games. I have several fond memories in BotW of reaching the top of a mountain and just appreciating the view from the top. But in TotK, outside a few scripted moments (like the Wind Temple quest or Master Sword quest), I never actually stopped to appreciate the sun like I did in BotW. TotK is such a "busy" game, with so much to do, that I was often far more focused on my next task than I was on the world around me. Plus, with how easy it is to build a flying machine in TotK, you don't get that experience of "scaling a mountain and finding the sky" nearl as often.

[@BurkhardtGaming]

As a visual artist I appreciate the hell out of this video. You actually get it! Great vid as always

[@erinoquindo3013]

I was hoping you'd mention Shadow of the Colossus and Last Guardian in this! Such a great use of overwhelming light.

[@danytalksmusic]

it's the moments I spent gliding in the sky that resonated most with me in TOTK. it's when the entire map opens up in front of you and you realize how small you are... when there are a million things to do and see, but in that moment it's just you and the endless expanse before you, beckoning you to explore and discover... the moment when you ask yourself "what's next?" and "where should I go?"... that was my favorite part of TOTK

[@Void_Mother]

I adore that even the thumbnail is a reference to the work of Delaunay. Absolutely beautiful video, I could watch a three hour video essay about this topic.

[@justincruz8050]

Do not stare into the sun everybody

[@frank4uever]

Jacob you are my favorite youtuber by far ❤️

[@MCKretin]

As soon as you starting talking about light in art history my mind immediately went to Turner. I love him so much.

[@SugarFupa]

I love the transition mood of the transition to the ad placement.Transition from enlightened abstract and high discussion, to corporal, practical and immediate concerns, while still reflecting the golden light of the previous segment. From the sky and the sun to cutting, stirring, eating, feeding, humans, animals, plants and all the multiplicity of the realm where air and water meet.

[@guymann2081]

Awesome seeing a video that deals with a lot of paintings! Loving this

[@markwalker3510]

I'm not even a leftist, nor do I share many of your views, but your intelligent writing, emotional delivery, and astounding concepts have captivated me and forced me to think from a different point of view, thanks for all the wonderful videos man, God bless

[@justanotheryoutuber3532]

Art style and creativity beats tech stats EVERYTIME.

[@kathylennerds750]

The Ascension and being rewarded with blinding light (and just the sun in general) is also a huuuge theme in Journey. One of my favorite video games to date for how often I cried at something just being so beautiful.

[@purplehaze2358]

If you think _Impression, Sunrise_ giving an entire artistic movement its name is impressive, wait until you find out an entire common word in the English language - nightmare - comes from a very particular painting called _The Night Mare._

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

I love how some names derive from thousands if not millions of years of history and though, sometimes going so far back we don't even know when it began, evolving with us through seasons and stars as we flowed into and out of each other before we even knew what it was And then there's "mount city, named after a mount in the city"

[@horacelidenbrock3905]

If you're referring to Henry Fuseli's painting, there's no evidence that the word "nightmare" shift in meaning is related to the painting. But hey, it's a Geller's video and going out on a limb is encouraged.

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

@@horacelidenbrock3905 wdym?

[@horacelidenbrock3905]

@@airplanes_aren.t_real Impressionism comes from Impression, Soleil Levant. There's no evidence that the modern meaning of "nightmare" comes from Fuseli's painting "the nightmare". As for my quip about Geller's lack of academic rigour, that's self-explanatory I think. He's entertaining, but does not provide serious academic material.

[@abigailbostic2198]

My elementary school art room had many prints of paintings hung up in it, but Monet's "Impression, Sunrise" was my first ever introduction to the artist and I remember falling in love with his work right then. We did a little art project that revolved around creating a sunset over a body of water with paint and tissue paper after talking about his work, but I remember being small and telling everyone Monet was my favorite artist after that. It's been a long time since I really revisited his work and seeing this piece brought up in this video essay honestly filled me with emotion and made me tear up. I'd forgotten how much I'd loved his work. Thanks for putting words to a feeling I didn't have a way to describe when I was so small but I can appreciate so much more now.

[@fivetwoeighty7012]

The first place I went in Outer Wilds was the Interloper. The visual of the sun rising above the icy landscape was so breathtaking that I spent my first [redacted - if you’ve played it, you know the word] just bouncing around the surface of the interloper enjoying the views.

[@citizenscientist1284]

Very few creators on KZbin have the depth of your work, and the passion. Your videos have the hallmark of the best works of art: they are a source of inspiration that can be returned to over and over. Thank you for your effort and insight.

[@mwip9421]

the cutscene from the last guardian (17:15) reminds me of the matrix revolutions scene. i really love that many works about the sun almost come off as religious pieces. it’s so fascinating having such a big entity that means so much to us and our world and all we’ve ever done is look for more.

[@Soul-Burn]

Jacob actually talked about that specific scene in this video of his from last year, about "Perfect Moments in "Bad" Movies" kzbin.info/www/bejne/nma8aaqegt-frdE

[@jacobwright5542]

Anytime The Last Guardian is shown or mentioned in a circumstance where I didn't intentionally seek it out, I begin involuntarily smiling like an idiot.

[@EdwardMichael3]

You’re so good Jacob. Thanks as always for an insight into the inner workings your mind; and seamlessly blending video games, films, and paintings into a cohesive essay about whatever is striking your fancy.

[@pedroscoponi4905]

Ayy, Brazil mentioned! :D I hadn't heard that news at all, which is absurd (and a bit embarassing) because that painting looks _amazing._ I've also been in love with light and the way it paints the sky for a good few years at this point, so this video felt like it was made just to improve my monday. Thank you!

[@kcryrine5056]

i cant even watch this right now im already in tears over the same sun realization

[@someonelse2]

I didn't realise how sensual the descriptions of artists relating to their work would be, it seems especially in regards to painters Amazing work as always!!

[@emmaureen6134]

That feeling of having everything so absolutely overwhelmed by the sun is exactly why I love the implementation of the Skyview towers as a mapping system in totk so much! Though the Sheikah towers in botw gave you a wonderful vantage point and panning shot of the world around Link, it is not nearly as all-encompassing and magical as being launched into the air by the Skyview towers. The crescendo of the music as you see the world rush past Link in a blur of blinding, beautiful light and colours, only to fade out into a moment of pause when you reach the peak of your ascent-the full, overwhelming light of the sun floods the world around you in a beautiful glow, as Link lingers there for the briefest of moments, suspended so high up in the air, before tipping back down to view the world below him. Not only is this great as you, the player, literally see that bird's eye view shot that Link is mapping out for yourself, making it feel all the more real, but it gives you that fleeting, quiet moment of Link, suspended so high up into the sky that he is flooded by an overwhelming glow of warmth and light that even the (very good) music pauses for. It's truly a magical moment, even after your first time experiencing it.

[@amberdaze7892]

this video made me reflect on my own art, my photographs of the fading sun, streetlights, and other glimmers through trees, puddles, water, clouds; my poetry about the sun, sky, and moon, sinking into skin and eyes; my love of highlights and shadows, rendering, in my drawings. if art is a way of trying to capture ourselves and the world, it seems that everything is a mix of two elements, light and shadow, yin and yang.