Thomas Cole and the Hudson Valley

I love art which is inspired by literature.  One piece, which I have studied, and have used to teach middle school students about art history is Thomas Cole's  "The Last of the Mohicans".  The novel's setting is Glen Falls, NY, which happens to be in the Hudson River Valley area of upstate NY, nestled in the Catskill Mountains.  Cole was a landscape painter intrigued with the passage of time on landscapes, civilizations, and individuals.  Born in England, Cole became inspired by the open untamed landscapes of America, particularly the mountains of upstate NY and New England, while on a steamboat trip up the Hudson River.  The Catskill Mountain's bright autumnal hues awed him.  He became not only the most famous of the Hudson River painters of the mid 19th century, but is considered the founder of the movement.  Here is  Cole's Cool Interactive Website.

The Hudson River School was the first organized movement of fine art in America, although influenced by a few of their European contemporaries, including Casper David Friedrich,  they were determined to create their own style depicting the sweeping potential and optimism of the yet untainted country.  I personally see the influence Cole and Friedrich must have had on each other's work.  One of the motifs of both of these artists, tend to be ruins from past civilizations.  Although, Cole, unlike Friedrich,  often has the contrast of peaceful, content pastoral life in the wake of the old delapidated buildings.  He concentrated less on the longing, but more on the contentment. 

Normally, I would not be so attracted to those themes, wanting truth more than pretty little scenes, but with Cole, the wild aspect holds his work together.  Plus, I love how the beauty of the hills where I grew up helped to establish the credibility of American Art in the "art world".

Cole inspired Jasper Francis Cropsey, who painted this scene.  These are the mountains that I lived at the foot of for the first 18 years of my life.  We hiked and explored those hills, and actually owned a quarter of an acre of Mount Eve.  There were old Native American caves in the mountain, as well, although they were too dangerous to set foot in. The small pointy mountain is Mount Adam.  The longer one is Mount Eve.

The style of the Hudson River Artists spread throughout the country, as exploration and new forms of transportation opened up the wild frontier. First, up to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and onward.  Another celebrity of the movement, Bierdstat pushed westward.  He created an almost fantastical, mythical quality to his work.

What I think is interesting is how these landscapes were painted.  They were often pieced together from different places, and different sketches that were done "plein air" (real observation). The places they went to observe, sketch and paint, were too dangerous, or the climate too intense to allow the whole painting to be completed outside.  This, I believe, allowed a certain sense of realism, while at the same time, forced the artists to go beyond a photorealistic approach.
The same locale where Sleepy Hollow is a real town, and where Rip Van Winkle had his little nap, is where American art emerged beyond folk art. I think that is so cool. (although the folk art of the country is indispensably important as well, but that's another rambling for another day).