Explore Thomas Cole

Process

Cole experimented with many different compositions for the third painting of the series. In the earliest study, illustrated here, Cole intended for the painting to be a coastal scene, with stormy waves crashing against a cliff where the angel is perched. The Voyager clings for his life to the ship. In the second oil study, the waves are less intense, and the Voyager is seated, not standing, in the boat. The threatening demons appear for the first time in this work. The final oil study shows Cole working solely with the landscape. Here the design is closest to the final composition: the river turns into a waterfall at the right, and waves crash into a cliff with a broken tree. ¹ 

Works

1. Thomas Cole, <cite>Study for The Voyage of Life: Manhood</cite>, oil on wooden panel, c. 1837-39, 12 x 13 5/8 in. Albany Institute of History and Art. View in Virtual Gallery

2. Thomas Cole, <cite>Compositional Sketch for The Voyage of Life: Manhood</cite>, oil on wooden panel, c. 1840, 11 x 16 &frac34; in. Museum of Art, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. View in Virtual Gallery

3. Thomas Cole, <cite>The Voyage of Life: Manhood (First Set)</cite>, oil on canvas, 1840, 52 x 78 in. Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, 55.107.