Explore Thomas Cole

Process

Beginning in 1829 and continuing for many years, Cole's ideas for The Oxbow evolved. In the double-sheet Panoramic View, Cole adapted European landscape conventions to suit his American audience by stretching out the composition and elevating the viewpoint. Panoramas in Europe may have influenced Cole during his first trip abroad. By adapting panoramic painting techniques in his sketches, Cole could convey feelings of the sublime. European panoramas usually depicted architectural views and cityscapes, but Cole used the technique for American wilderness and pastoral scenes. The small preliminary oil painting, executed in the studio, is a more compact version of the outdoor sketch, allowing Cole to experiment with the color palette before moving on to the final canvas. ¹  In this long, complex process, the artist transformed his view (a recognizable depiction of an actual scene) into an inventive veiled allegory about the confrontation of nature and culture in the American landscape.

Works

1. Thomas Cole, Panorama of the Oxbow on the Connecticut River as Seen from Mount Holyoke, graphite pencil on off-white wove paper, c.1833. Detroit Institute of Arts. Founders Society Purchase, William H. Murphy Fund, 39.566.66, 39.566.67. View in Virtual Gallery

2. Thomas Cole, Sketch for View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, After A Thunderstorm (The Oxbow), oil on composition board, c. 1836. Private Collection. View in Virtual Gallery

3. Thomas Cole, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, After A Thunderstorm (The Oxbow), oil on canvas, 1836, 51 ½ x 76 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, 1908, 8.228.