Thomas Cole (1801 – 1848)
Thomas Cole was an English born, American artist and engraver, he was a founding member of the Hudson River School. After emigrating to America with his family in around 1819, he began working as a portrait painter. Cole soon fell in love with the American wilderness and gradually moved from portraiture, to landscapes. He spent time in Ohio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Catskills, he also spent time in Italy. During his European trips, he started to paint magnificent historical and allegorical pieces, one of his most memorable works is a series of five paintings entitled, “The Course of Empire”.
Cole also painted a second series of artworks, under the title, “The Voyage of Life”, which portray the four stages of human life, childhood, youth, manhood and old age. He painted two different versions, the original set is housed at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica, New York, and the second set are conserved at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
Displaying 29 Artworks
