Explore Thomas Cole

Commonly known as Claude Lorrain, French-born landscape painter of the Baroque period, who worked predominantly in Rome. Cole was deeply influenced by Claude's paintings of beautiful and pastoral landscapes. Claude's works are particularly admired for their soft brushwork, pastel color palette, and framing motifs. Upon seeing Claude's work in Europe, Cole began to incorporate these techniques into his own work, such as in The Course of Empire: The Arcadian or Pastoral State (1834) and View on the Catskill, Early Autumn (1837).