Cole: Once in a Lifetime
Today in a presentation by Professor Pokinski we had the opportunity to view some truly incredible artwork. Coming into class I didn't really know what to expect, I'd never really taken the time to immerse myself in the world of art, although originally the idea of learning about the Hudson River School was one of the reasons I decided to take this course. Professor Pokinski discussed a number of themes inherent to this particular group of artists: the theme of westward expansion, attention to detail, and the conflict between the benefits of industrialization and the undisturbed beauty of the wilderness. It's not easy to admit, for fear of sounding naive, uncultured or perhaps "soft", that I was actually moved by some of Thomas Cole's artwork, particularly the slides we saw of "The Course of Empire" in which Cole depicts various stages of a civilization from virgin wilderness to desolation. Depictions of this five part series can be found at the following link: http://pasleybrothers.com/jefferson/course_of_empire.htm
After class i took some time to think about what it was specifically about the work of Cole and some of the other Hudson River painters like Church and Bierstadt that had affected me so deeply, and after pondering it for a while, I'm not sure it's possible to put it into words. I think it's simply a feeling you get when viewing a scene of such extreme beauty, and realizing the level of understanding and appreciation the artist had for the landscape before him. The paintings themselves are still popular around the world; those that aren't in public collections sell for extraordinary amounts of money. I wonder if artists today would have the ability to draw so much from a particular environment. I can't help but think that there was something about the time in which these men were composing these beautiful landscapes, perhaps a deeper appreciation for nature and it's ability to move the soul, that would be near impossible to replicate today.
posted by Anonymous @ 3:36 PM
2 Comments:
The one thing that struck me the most about the Hudson River School was the detail that all of the artists had in their paintings. I also came to this class with barely any knowledge of art but just looking at the pictures was incredible, from the detail of the landscapes such as the exact plantlife to including the artist drawing the scene in the picture. Sure everyone has seen pictures of landscapes but to hear the details of how they are made is incredible. The artist would take notes of the area and colors and then go back to the studio to paint. It was not until this day that I was able to get a better appreciation of art. Even though som painters choose to change some minor details of the landscapes, the true beauty of the Hudson River was still captured.
Cole's four paintings that make up "The Journey of Life," though characteristic of the Hudson River School, paint landscapes that are very different from what we see here in upstate New York. The idea of sublimity within a landscape, or the landscape being so great and so awesome as to have a connection to the supernatural, may suit other landscapes just as well or better than it suits the landscape here in New York. For example, in "Journey of Life - Youth," the tree that is the right border of the painting is a palm tree. The painting is filled with other exotic flora and jagged rock formations we wouldn't see anywhere in the northeastern United States. The Hudson River Valley was a place where European-influenced artists were awed and inspired by the landscape, but these artists clearly didn't feel that only this location was suitable for representing the divine in nature.
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