Appalachian Landscapes of Thomas Cole

Backcountry Notes ^ | April 19, 2010 | Jay Henderson

[jay1949]

Cole came to America with his family in 1818. With little formal training in the art of painting, Cole was recognized as a landscape artist by his mid-twenties. Beginning in about 1833, Cole maintained a studio in Catskill, New York, where he painted many landscapes of the Catskill Mountains and other areas of the Northern Appalachians. [Images of 10 Cole landscapes]

[Jagdgewehr]

Beautiful. Thanks for posting.

[bricklayer]

Thanks Jay. A good posting as usual.

[Liberty Ship]

I’ll add one. “Landscape Scene from ‘Last of the Mohicans.”

http://www.abcgallery.com/C/cole/cole2.html

[Roses0508]

Thank you. I learned something and have new things to enjoy.

[catman67]

You can’t go wrong with any art from Cole, Church, Bierstadt and Inness. They painted America at its most beautiful.

[catman67]

My favorite Cole painting. "Notch in thw White Mountains" (Crawford Notch, NH)

[iceskater]

Art ping for you!

[ml/nj]

My Cole favorite is four: The Voyage of life.

There are two sets of these paintings. One is in a museum up in Utica, NY, which I haven't seen. The other is at the National Gallery in Washinton, DC, which I try to see on most of my visits there.

ML/NJ

[Joe 6-pack]

As an art history major, I wrote several papers on "The Voyage of Life," and like you, spent many hours entranced by the paintings in the National. "The Course of Empire" is another powerful allegorical series of Cole's that I've never seen in person, but very much hope to at some point.

[haywoodwebb]

Yes, they are at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute in Utica. I grew up visiting there often. These are four of my favorite paintings ever created.