Biography of thomas cole
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Thomas Cole (–)
Thomas Cole inspired the generation of American landscape painters that came to be known as the Hudson River School. Born in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England, in , at the age of seventeen he emigrated with his family to the United States, first working as a wood engraver in Philadelphia before going to Steubenville, Ohio, where his father had established a wallpaper manufacturing business. Dissatisfied in the business, Cole received rudimentary instruction from an itinerant artist, began painting portraits, genre scenes, and a few landscapes, and set out to seek his fortune through Ohio and Pennsylvania. By , he was working for his father again in Pittsburgh, where his family had relocated, but soon moved on to Philadelphia to pursue his art, inspired by paintings he saw at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Moving to New York City in spring , Cole made a trip up the Hudson River to the eastern Catskill Mountains in the vicinity of the recently opened Ca
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Thomas Cole () was an American artist and early environmentalist. 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 naturlig eller utan tillsats as a restorative power—are both historic and timely.
Thomas Cole was born in at Bolton, Lancashire in Northwestern England and emigrated with his family to the United States in During the early years Cole lived for short periods in Philadelphia, Ohio, and Pittsburgh where he worked as an itinerant portrait artist. Although primarily self-taught, Cole worked with members of the Pennsylvania Academy, and his canvases were included in the Academy’s exhibitions.
In , Cole discovered the haunting beauty of the Catskill wilderness. His exhibition of small paintings of Catskill landscapes came to the attention of prominent figures on the New York City art scen including Asher B. Durand, w
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Mastering the Hudson: A Study of Thomas Cole and His Lasting Impression on the Hudson River Valley
Jessica Friedlander, Marist ’07
Thomas Cole, the father of the Hudson River School, is one of the most nationally recognized painters in American history. His ingenious vision and delicate style helped to shape today’s deep appreciation of American landscapes, paving the way for a new kind of art.
The Painter in the Dark
He sets off, his mind envisioning the adventure ahead. An early robin sings a jeweled melody as he shifts his small canvases and cotton-woven sketchbooks, strapped at his back by a thin, taut stretch of cowhide, and grips tightly his cedar box of pencils. His knuckles are bare and cracked, and the air that tightens his skin is cool and smells of moss. His eyes graze the sky, a temptress; her deep navy-black robes reveal a shine of purple, tinged with orange and pink. It is dark, yet he i