THOMAS COLE

American landscape painting came of age in the mid-nineteenth century. Cole and his colleagues carefully recorded every aspect of nature, from the blazing sunset to the humblest plant, and were also instrumental in creating a new lyrical spaciousness in landscape painting. Like many other artists of his generation, Cole sought to express the spiritual in the actual. Here, a small lake, a cloudless sky, a fallen tree, and a lone Indian evoke the peace and tranquility of the American wilderness.