Thomas Cole: 9 works

'By the time he made this painting, Thomas Cole was a prominent landscape painter with many eager patrons.'

'Thomas Cole painted this work at St. Luke's Academy in Florence, Italy.'

'When still conceptualizing the work, Cole wrote that the "youth" segment would show "The child become a youth is seen in the boat--the river has increased & the scene become extensive and grand--the guardian just stepping out of the boar & pointing forward--leaving the youth to his own reason for guide."'

'Cole's painting, showing the gardens in the light of a late afternoon, is dominated by summer greens.'

'Cole's vision was profoundly influenced by the classical landscapes of the 17th-century masters Claude Lorraine and Nicolas Poussin.'

'In August and September of 1844, Thomas Cole and his companion Henry C. Pratt visited Mount Desert Island and the surrounding areas along the coast of Maine. While there, he was struck by the drama displayed by nature as evidenced by a quote from his journal: "A tremendous overhanging precipice, rising from the ocean, with the surf dashing against it in a frightful manner.'

'Depictions of American scenery always served as a backdrop for Thomas Cole's storytelling.'

'By showing the bay as a squall is clearing--when sky and sea are at their most theatrical--and by placing at center a tiny, storm-tossed ship, Cole may allude to the insignificance of man before the awesome power of nature. His works influenced an entire generation of American artists, most notably his protégé Frederic Edwin Church, who painted Mount Desert Island on several occasions.'

'Deeply concerned about the political and economic turbulence of his time, Cole filled his landscapes with symbols and warnings, capturing a resplendent America that was ultimately fraught with moral and national urgency. Scholars have long proclaimed Cole the "father" of the first native school of American painting.'