Origins & Early Life

Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 – February 11, 1848) was an Anglo-American artist who founded the Hudson River School art movement. He painted romantic landscapes and history paintings. Influenced by European painters, but with a strong American sensibility, he was prolific throughout his career and worked primarily with oil on canvas. His paintings are typically allegoric and often depict small figures or structures set against moody and evocative natural landscapes.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

They are usually escapist, framing the New World as a natural eden contrasting with the smog-filled cityscapes of Industrial Revolution-era Britain, in which he grew up. His works, often seen as conservative, criticize the contemporary trends of industrialism, urbanism, and westward expansion. Born in Bolton le Moors in Lancashire on February 1, 1801, Thomas Cole immigrated with his family to the United States in 1818, settling in Steubenville, Ohio. At the age of twenty-two, he moved to Philadelphia and later, in 1825, to Catskill, New York, where he lived with his children and wife. Cole found work early on as an engraver.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was largely self-taught as a painter, relying on books and by studying the work...

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