Category: ‘Romantic’

• Thomas Cole’s “The Course of Empire” (1834-36) [GUIDE]

   Thomas Cole’s The Course of Empire (1834-36) is a series of five allegorical paintings depicting the rise and fall of a fantastical civilization. Cole envisions a prehistoric age in which nature dominates man (The Savage State); an ancient utopia in which people live in balance with nature (The Pastoral State); an era of decadence (Consummation); war and [...]

  posted in Art, Guides, Romantic tagged Hudson River School, The Course of Empire, Thomas Cole

• Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School [VIDEO]

   Guide: Thomas Cole’s “The Course of Empire” Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was an English-born American painter and founder of the Hudson River School—a group of artists in the mid-19th century known for their paintings depicting American scenery and allegorical landscapes. These artists formed an American artistic identity that was connected to, yet distinct from, the European [...]

  posted in Art, Romantic, Videos tagged Hudson River School, Thomas Cole

• The Course of Empire: Narrative and Context [VIDEO]

   Guide: Thomas Cole’s “The Course of Empire” Scroll below to explore the larger contexts behind Cole’s artistry and the story in The Course of Empire, then examine each of the five paintings in detail. The Landscape Thomas Cole is considered one of the first great American landscape painters, and these five paintings are a virtuosic display. His work [...]

  posted in Art, Romantic, Videos tagged Hudson River School, The Course of Empire, Thomas Cole

• The Course of Empire: The Paintings [VIDEO]

   Guide: Thomas Cole’s “The Course of Empire” Linda S. Ferber, Vice President and Senior Art Historian at the New-York Historical Society, acts as a guide through Cole’s suite of five paintings in the videos below. The Savage State (1834) The Pastoral State (1834) The Consummation of Empire (1836) The Destruction of Empire(1836) Desolation (1836) Related Topics: [...]

  posted in Art, Romantic, Videos tagged Hudson River School, The Course of Empire, Thomas Cole