Light Academia is an academic aesthetic and the visually lighter counterpart of Dark Academia.
Dark Academia typically involves intense and negative themes, including literary tragedy, discussion of the meaning of life, heartbreak, oppression, escapism, and death. In contrast, Light Academia’s themes are generally positive, focusing on optimism, sensitivity, joy, gratitude, friendship, motivation, and happy endings.
However, visuals from classical antiquity still play a significant role in Light Academia, and the Western canon are a significant part of the philosophy. Western architecture, including church buildings, libraries, museums, and universities, feature frequently in Light Academia images. Haussmann-era Paris and images of domesticity also differentiate Light from Dark Academia.
History
Light Academia was created in a Tumblr text post by the user 'plantaires' on January 17, 2019. The user wrote, "you’ve heard of ‘dark academia’, now its time for ‘light’ academia… wearing light linen sundresses in foreign countries, eating picnics and pastries in the afternoon sun while reading poetry and laughing with your friends, the burning passion and excitement when you finally make a breakthrough in your research, falling asleep in your lovers arms sunkissed and happy… everything is beautiful and hopeful and no one dies."
As there are no light academia tags, and as demonstrated through its propositional tone, this is the post that created the aesthetic. The dissemination of the term was largely a whim, and it was other users who expanded upon her idea, as opposed to deliberate aesthetic creation, as demonstrated by her confusion in the tags of another text post, where she wrote, "did I... accidentally coin a term?"
Visuals
Light Academia tends to utilize the colors white, tan, cream, gold and other pale colors. The photographs are taken in natural lighting, with generous sunshine, often overlapping with Golden Hour images.
Cozy and domestic imagery is a popular motif in Light Academia and contributes to the softer and more loving environment of the aesthetic. Unmade beds with books on the sheets, food (typically coffee, bread, and fruit), and cluttered apartments are images that appear more often in Light Academia than Dark.
Sculpture is always done in white marble and in the styles of Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical. Technique, such as in the illusion of flesh, psychological presence, diaphanous fabric and drapery, is admired. These sculptures are extremely popular because they fit into the Light Academia color palette easily.
The artworks utilized in light academia come from the periods typically associated with European civilization: Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, Academic, Romantic, Aesthetic and Pre-Raphaelite periods are included. However, Light Academia does not emphasize these eras of painting as much as Dark Academia. Rather, lmpressionist art, which uses a light color palette and images of middle class life and nature, making it an overall softer and welcoming atmosphere, is more popular.
The romanticization of studying, journaling and letter-writing is demonstrated through appreciation for calligraphy and stationary. Fountain pens and typewriters are proudly displayed and users would often take images of the results of their notebook entries, not unlike Studyblr. However, their writing is cursive and decorations are sparse.
Images associated with literature are another common photo subject. Antique books, etchings for chapter pages, screenshots of e-books with highlighted lines, annotations and typography are common. Latin, ancient Greek, English and French are popular in dark academia both as subjects of linguistic study and in aesthetic images of text.
Nature photography, often overlapping with Cottagecore, can appear. Fields of grass, bushes of flowers, crawling ivy, and orange groves are some examples. Like Cottagecore, these plants are controlled and mild.
Cafe society is also another influence on the aesthetic. Coffee shops are associated with both the flaneurs of 19th-century Paris and the contemporary stressed college students of today. As such, that space is romanticized and images of coffee, people-watching and studying within the space is popular.
Fashion
Tops
- Blazers
- Turtlenecks
- Corduroy jackets
- Cardigans
- Cable knit sweaters/jumpers
- Button up shirts/dress shirts
- Sweater vests
Bottom
- Linen shorts
- Dress pants
- Cigarette pants
- Skirts
- Bell bottoms
Outerwear
- Trench coats
- Pea coats
- Duffle coats
- Overcoats
- Waistcoats
- Uniforms
Shoes
- Wingtips
- Mary Janes
- Doc Martens
- Oxford shoes
Accessories
- Headbands
- Glasses
- Hair ribbons
- Hair clips
- Knee high or ruffle socks
- Watches
- Leather belts
- Cufflinks
- Brooches
- Pearls
- Berets
Colors
- Browns
- Cream
- Rose
- Burgundy
- Green
- Banana yellow
- Navy blue
- Beige
- Off-white
- Grey
- Black
- White
Patterns and Materials
- Tweed
- Corduroy
- Plaid
- Leather
- Houndstooth
- Gingham
- Flannel
- Tartan
- Madras
- Linen
- Knit and crochet
- Lace
- Argyle
- Cashmere
- Silk/satin
Madia
Movies
- The African Doctor (2016)
- Another Country (1984)
- Billy Elliot (2000)
- The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind (2019)
- Dead Poets Society (1989)
- The Emperor's Club (2002)
- Enola Holmes (2020)
- Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
- First They Killed My Father (2017)
- Five Feet Apart (2019)
- The Goldfinch (2019)
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
- The Half Of It (2020)
- The Harry Potter movie series (Only 1-4) (2001-2005)
- Hidden Figures (2016)
- Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
- Hugo (2011)
- Indian Horse (2017)
- In This Corner Of The World (2016)
- Kill Your Darlings (2013)
- Little Women (2019)
- Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
- Nigerian Prince (2018)
- Pride and Prejudice (2005)
- The Riot Club (2014)
- Roma (2018)
- School Ties (1992)
- Sense and Sensibility (1995)
- A Silent Voice (2016)
- The Theory Of Everything (2014)
- Tolkien (2019)
- Whiplash (2014)
- Wonder (2017)
- Yes, God, Yes (2019)
TV Shows
- Anne With An E
- Bear in the Big Blue House
- Between the Lions
- The Crown
- Dear White People
- Derry Girls
- Fleabag
- Franklin
- I Am Not OK With This
- The InBetweeners
- Politician
- The Queen's Gambit
- A Series Of Unfortunate Events
- Sex Education
- Lark Rise to Candleford
- High Fidelity
Books
- Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
- Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
- Emma - Jane Austen
- The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
- Room on the Roof - Rusking Bond
- The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
- Circe - Madeline Miller
Im sorry for not posting these days. I had a lot of school work to do.
Comments
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sushi
This aesthetic is pretty love it!
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