Ana De Freitas

ARTH-2720-001 (F,12-2:50)
Fall Semester 2015
Term Paper
Thomas Cole was one of the first professional landscape painters in the United
States. He is considered to be the leader of the Hudson River school, a mid-19 th century
art movement influenced by Romanticism (Hudson River School). Other sources say he
is thought of as the father of the movement (Self Guide, UMFA). He has composed a
variety of landscape paintings but I had the opportunity to see one of his works in
person. Coles Pastoral Landscape with Fisherman was painted in 1826 and hangs at
the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. It is an oil painting and its dimensions are approximately
27inx32inx3in (UMFA collection). I chose this work because I personally think that
nature is beautiful and it was one of the few paintings in the Museum that embraces
nature itself. It also is a great example of Romantic artwork and has more emphasis on
aesthetic rather than to serve a purpose.
The painting itself is cluttered. Trees, branches, and leaves fill up most of the
space. In the middle of the piece you see a small lake or river. The lake/river seems to
bend behind some trees giving it the illusion that it may proceed further. Although the
space seems compact, there is a mountain in the upper left of the painting which gives it
some sense of openness. On the very left of the scene is a beautiful light pink sky.
Lastly, in the center of the painting is what looks like a man and a young boy standing
on one big rock holding fishing poles.

The colors used are pretty dark and gloomy. Different shades of green and brown
are used a lot throughout the picture. In the center of the work, there is a yellowish tint
used, and it highlights or brings attention to the broken tree. The injured tree rests back
against the others. The trees roots are hanging off the bottom of the trunk. Another thing
to note is that the some trees are very leafy and full of life, while the trees closest to
the viewer are dead and leafless. Not only is there a skinny leafless tree standing, but
there are dead trees lying on the ground as well. Maybe that could imply life and death
or maybe even how nature is beautiful throughout all its stages of life.
Romantic artists saw nature as unpredictable and uncontrollable but also as
powerful and delightful. They kind of tied that idea to human emotion and mood
(Stokstad, Cothren, 2013). Cole painted The Oxbow in 1836 and he painted the scene
to convey the landscapes significance and beauty (Stokstad, Cothren, 2013). I think that
he painted the Pastoral Landscape with Fishermem for the same reason. He uses the
same style in his paintings. Usually natural landscapes are his main themes. His
paintings usually depict an actual place. For example, The Oxbow represents a specific
time and place (Stokstad, Cothren, 2013). Something important to mention is that the
Romantic period in Europe influenced American Painters (Self guide, UMFA). Most
importantly is that him and other artists of the Hudson River School movement
emphasized the divinity of nature but also the ghastly elements of nature (Wikipedia).
Hence thats probably why there are trees that are full of life and trees that are sickly.
Cole was known to work from observation but he produced his works in his
studio located in New York. Therefore he used imagination along with naturalism. He
was able to amend the photo or change it however he wanted (Doherty,2007).

Landscape paintings were common but the Hudson River School movement was
more interested in the beauty of nature as well as the catastrophic parts. Usually the
paintings will show beauty and the painters idea of the opposite of beauty. For example,
the artist can use weather to show emotion. In The Oxbow, the left side of the painting
shows a really stormy sky and the right side of the painting shows a blue clear sky.
These contrasts were very popular in the movement paintings. Cole was clearly
showing the beauty of nature. His piece did not have to have a specific function. I think
he painted to make a living and enjoyed what he did. He contributed to Art History by
showing that art can be what you want it to be. He is said to be founder of the Hudson
River School movement and has been acknowledged by many.

References
"Hudson River School." The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University
Press, 2015. Credo Reference. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.

<http://search.credoreference.com.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/content/topic/hudson_riv
er_school>.
"Hudson River School." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River_School>.
"Romanticism at the UMFA Self Guide." Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
<http://centralpt.com/upload/417/18693_UMFA_Romanticism_SelfGuide.pdf>.
Stephen, Doherty. "Thomas Cole (1801-1848): ADDING EMOTION TO
OBSERVATION." EBSCOhost. 2007. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
<http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=663f88d08f88-47c0-9bc2b88ac0cf9e16@sessionmgr4003&vid=13&hid=4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3
QtbGl2ZQ==#AN=505241852&db=aft>.
Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Cothren. "Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth-century Art in
Europe and North America." Art History. 4th ed. Vol. II. Boston: Pearson, 2013.
Print.
"UMFA Collection." Utah Museum of Fine Arts. University of Utah. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
<http://5066.sydneyplus.com/UMFA_ArgusNET_Final/Portal.aspx?lang=enUS&p_AAEE=tab6>.
Image, Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
<http://collections.umfa.utah.edu/media/umfa/images/3/3/47201_ca_object_repre
sentations_media_3347_mediumlarge.jpg>.