The appreciation of nature has a long history in the culture of humanity. It is hard to separate humanity from its land, the environment it resides in. Nature has been an integral source of inspiration for centuries of cultures and civilizations. 19th century English American landscape painter, Thomas Cole, took a particular liking to the subject of nature. He was enamored by the sublimity of nature and enraged by the industrial developments of the time. Where he found enjoyment and serenity, he also found disappointment and sorrow for the unfortunate ephemerality of nature at the time. Because of this growing distance between American society and its land, Thomas Cole sought to capture this sense of nature as a means to emphasize the idea …show more content…
Yes, he uses the left and right sections of the painting to juxtapose the uncultivated and cultivated lands, respectively, but that is all he shows. He sees the beauty in that which he presents, nothing more. An idea in landscape painting of the time that Thomas Cole stressed was the sublime. This is the concept that nature can inspire great admiration and wonder through its grandness. As a concept in landscape painting, this was often represented through daunting, expansive scenery and lush, deep vegetation. In The Oxbow, the entire left side of the painting can be viewed as an example of the sublime through its lush foliage, jagged edges of trees, and the lack of human influence (which is most often portrayed through a clear path or the simple lack of large areas of vegetation). Thomas Cole articulated this concept by stating that (in reference to mountains) “rocks, wood, and water, brooded the spirit of repose, and the silent energy of nature [stir] the soul to its inmost depths.” To Cole, these elements of nature all coming together in this vast sense is what makes the …show more content…
And from his sentiment about trees and men, he is also comparing the wildness of uncultivated men to the wildness of uncultivated nature. He is also, by representing himself, showing how he is in awe of this landscape from how he is present and is in the process of capturing it. Thomas Cole was particularly enamored by American scenery by its characteristic ways of sublimity in nature and the connection between an American and one’s land. Because of the lack of cultivation, in the Eurocentric sense, of the land, people viewed America as a primitive and less inspiring stretch of land compared to Europe. European scenery had been the primary subject of landscape paintings and had become the standard for nature-based beauty. But Thomas Cole looked beyond that. He can see characteristic beauty within the land in which he
In the era where Thomas Cole first established the Hudson River School, other artist that is not from the United State such as John Constable, has the same taste in nature and outdoors. John Constable who is from England, created many painting from the surrounding area from his backyard to the countryside. For Cole’s painting, his work of art has been throughout the Hudson River, therefore, his painting consist of vast amount of forest, river, and mountains. He also travels in many locations in America and even done some painting in Europe. Both painter love nature, for this example, landscape will be the primary focus.
Frederic Edwin Church was clearly an epic and defining figure among the Hudson River School painters, particularly in his collaborative efforts in developing a sense of national identity for America, but also in fostering tourism through landscape painting, political influence, and entrepreneurialism. By answering the national call for artists and writers to define American landscape, Church took the first steps towards becoming, not only one of America’s greatest painters, but also a successful entrepreneur when it came to selling his own work to make a living. Church was dedicated to preserving “scientific accuracy” in his interpretations of nature and beauty, which were stimulated by the scientific writings of geographer and explorer Alexander von Humboldt.1
Berry explains how art honors nature by depicting it and using it as a starting
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Nature.” The American Experience. Ed. Kate Kinsella. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education, Inc., 2005. 388-390. Print.
In Emerson’s “Nature” nature is referred to as “plantations of god” meaning that nature is sacred. Also mentioned, is that “In the woods is perpetual youth”(#) conveying that nature keeps people young. Therefore, these excerpts show that nature is greatly valued by these transcendentalists. Transcendentalists would likely care significantly about the environment. In contrast, nowadays nature is often and afterthought. Natures’ resources are being depleted for human use, and the beauty of nature is also not as appreciated by modern people as it was by transcendentalists. The threat to nature in modern times contrasts to the great appreciation of nature held by authors like Emerson and
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
This work shows impeccably drawn beech and basswood trees. It was painted for a New York collector by the name of Abraham M. Cozzens who was then a member of the executive committee of the American Art-Union. The painting shows a new trend in the work of the Hudson River School. It depicts a scene showing a tranquil mood. Durand was influenced by the work of the English landscape painter John Constable, whose vertical formats and truth to nature he absorbed while visiting England in 1840.
The nature in which we live is truly beautiful and something to preserve and treasure. When the Europeans first came to North America, they were immediately in love with the views they encountered. They were interested in wanting to know more about the land, the animals that peeked around, and the people who called it home. Artists such as, John White had heard the tales of what Christopher Columbus had described during his time in North America, which led to them wanting to make their own discoveries (Pohl 140). Everyone had their own opinions and views of the world, but artists were able to capture the natural images and the feeling they had through their paintings (Pohl 140).
Landscape painting was extremely important during the middle of the nineteenth century. One of the leading practitioners of landscape painters in America was Thomas Cole. He visited many places seeking the “natural” world to which he might utilize his direct observations to convey the untainted nature by man to his audience. His works resolved to find goodness in American land and to help Americans take pride in their unique geological features created by God. Thomas Cole inspired many with his brilliant works by offering satisfaction to those seeking the “truth” (realism) through the works of others.
Thomas would be in the category of romantic art for the theme of his artwork. He has based it on the beauty of nature and the fact that most of his major works were done in the period that romanticism took place, most of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Thomas Moran had attended the Hudson Valley River School, where many landscape artists had attended, too. He painted the Hudson Valley with the attraction, beauty, and scenery of the valley.(www.ency). He also was attracted to the awesomely romantic images of American wilderness and the open west, where he did most of his paintings. (www.art) Thomas was fascinated with Yellowstone and wanting to be associated with it painted the wilderness and scenery of it. (Vol.15) With the paintings he had done of Yellowstone Congress was fascinated with them, that they bought The Chasm and The Grand Canon of the Yellowstone Thomas had painted.
Heffernan, James A. W. The Re-Creation of Landscape: A Study of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Constable, and Turner. Hanover: UP of New England, 1985.
In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature”, he develops his own perspective on the interconnection between humans and nature. As an admirable essayist and transcendentalist, he believed that man can have the ability to go and find the Truth in solitude and nature, and can return to reason and faith. “You cannot see the mountain near.” When one is near a mountain, it looks enormous; however, you can see it in its entirety from a far distance. There is no need to even perceive it as a challenge, especially if instead we focus on one rock at a time; loving and appreciating the journey. Having the right perspective towards things can help form a healthy reality. He believed nature could positively change people’s outlooks in life. In Emerson’s view, “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” In other words, he is saying that however someone feels is how they will view nature. From his experiences, he believes if a man becomes part of nature once again, loses his egotism and becomes a lover of beauty, then he has become a “transparent eyeball.” Having experience as Emerson did with nature can make one’s perspective more valuable and precious in this
Nature is an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson where he discusses the symbolism that exists in nature, its manifestations, and the ongoing development of nature toward higher forms. According to Emerson, nature itself can be considered as an experience of solitude (“man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society”). It is his belief that when the individual desires to be alone, he shall look into the immensity of the sky, as it inspires a feeling of awe and respect. To Emerson everything in nature is a source of wisdom, simplicity, and fulfillment (“flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected the wisdom of his best hour”). He further believes on the importance of the relationship between man and nature. This relationship between
For Wordsworth nature seems to sympathise with the love and suffering. of the persona, i.e. the persona. The landscape is seen as an interior presence rather. than an external scene, i.e. His idea is that emotions are reflected in the tranquillity of the nature. On the contrary, Coleridge says that poetry is.
Through the poems of Blake and Wordsworth, the meaning of nature expands far beyond the earlier century's definition of nature. "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." The passion and imagination portrayal manifest this period unquestionably, as the Romantic Era. Nature is a place of solace where the imagination is free to roam. Wordsworth contrasts the material world to the innocent beauty of nature that is easily forgotten, or overlooked due to our insensitivities by our complete devotion to the trivial world. “But yet I know, where’er I go, that there hath passed away a glory from the earth.