Thomas Cole
1801-1848
English born American Landscape
Painter and the Founder of the
Hudson River School
Artistically and stylistically influenced by the following painters - Thomas Birch, Thomas Doughty, J.M.W. Turner and Raphael
Education - As a young boy he learned the basics of painting from traveling limners. He attended classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Medium - oil on canvas
Cause of death - Pneumonia
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"For Cole was not only a great artist but a great teacher ; the contemplation of his works made men better. It is said of one of the old Italian painters, that he never began a painting without first offering a prayer. The paintings of Cole are of that nature that it hardly transcends the proper use of language to call them acts of religion. Yet do they never strike us as strained or forced in character ; they teach but what rose spontaneously in the mind of the artist; they were the sincere communications of his own moral and intellectual being. One of the most eminent among the modern German painters, Overbeck, is remarkable for the happiness with which he has caught the devotional manner of the old ecclesiastical painters, blending it with his own more exquisite knowledge of art, and shedding it over forms of fairer symmetry. " -- William Cullen Bryant addressing the National Academy of Design, New York, May 4, 1848, giving A tribute to the life and works of Thomas Cole
The Hudson River School
1825-1875
The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement founded by Thomas Cole in 1825. The style was influenced by European romanticism. The artists shared common design aesthetics uniting them as a school despite their distinctive styles. The painters focused on the American wilderness, particularly the Hudson River Valley as well as the Catskill Mountains and Adirondack Mountains. The paintings were spectacular and dramatic reflecting the wilderness environment. The artists moved their studios out of doors and sketched directly from nature focusing on the drama of light and shadow. Many paintings depict a rugged landscape, dramatic sunrise or ominous storm clouds brewing in the distance. The works were painstakingly detailed and celebrate Gods divine handiwork in nature.
The mid 1850s was a time of unprecedented development for the young
nation, and the Hudson River painters depicted the vastness and beautify
of a country proud of its natural resources. They embraced nature
and showed a remarkable attention to detail within the natural
landscape. This school popularized the idea of Manifest Destiny
and came to symbolize American vitality, independence and nationalism.
As city life became increasingly chaotic, landscape painting be came
increasingly popular with the buying public. Almost every upper-middle
class Victorian home had at least one picturesque landscape hanging in
the parlor. The paintings were looked upon as a scenic oasis and a
visual retreat from modern life. Today, works by the Hudson River school artists are treasured as the
first uniquely American school of art and for their beauty and
significance to art, history and culture
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