Italy art park get a portrait painter6/24/2023 On January 1, 1838, the Cole’s first child, Theodore Alexander Cole was born. Among the calling cards in the Cole papers of the Albany Institute of History and Art is that of James Fenimore Cooper. Many of the great painters and literary figures of the day began to visit the Coles at their Catskill home. The couple was given a suite of rooms on the second floor of the house. On November 22, 1836, Thomas Cole and Maria Bartow were married at Cedar Grove, which became Cole’s home. In 1836, both Cole’s father and his patron Luman Reed died, but there was happiness in that year as well. The growth of the railroad by “copper-hearted barbarians” was of particular concern. He became Cole’s patron, and for Reed, Cole produced one of his best-known and popular series of paintings, known as “The Course of Empire.”ĭuring the winter of 1835-1836, Cole stayed in Catskill working on “The Course of Empire.” During this period Cole began to express strong views concerning the impact of industrial development and its negative consequences for the wild beauty of the Catskills landscapes that were the source of inspiration for his work. A native of Coxsackie, New York, Reed was a successful local merchant who had moved to New York City and opened a private art gallery there. It was during this period that Cole began his relationship with Luman Reed. There, he met the Bartow/Thomson family, who resided at Cedar Grove. Shortly thereafter, Cole first established his rural studio in Catskill, New York, when he rented a small outbuilding at Cedar Grove, now the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Cole met a large number of wealthy Americans traveling abroad and received numerous commissions from them, increasing his reputation and stature.Ĭole returned to New York City in November of 1832 and mounted an exhibition of his European paintings, which aroused considerable public interest. These years were among the most productive of his life. In 1829-1831, Cole returned to Britain for study, to attend to family business and to travel to France and Italy. While he was still in his twenties, Cole was made a fellow of the National Academy. Durand, who became a life-long friend, and his fame spread. His exhibition of small paintings of Catskill landscapes came to the attention of prominent figures on the New York City art scene including Asher B. In 1825, Cole discovered the haunting beauty of the Catskill wilderness. Although primarily self-taught, Cole worked with members of the Pennsylvania Academy, and his canvases were included in the Academy’s exhibitions. During the early years Cole lived for short periods in Philadelphia, Ohio, and Pittsburgh where he worked as an itinerant portrait artist. Thomas Cole was born in 1801 at Bolton, Lancashire in Northwestern England and emigrated with his family to the United States in 1818. Cole founded the first major art movement of the United States, now known as the Hudson River School of landscape painting. The themes that Cole explored in his art and writings-such as landscape preservation and our conception of nature as a restorative power-are both historic and timely. Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was an American artist and early environmentalist.
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