Artwork of the Day - 11 December 2004 - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Mephisto2 · 12-10-2004, 06:11 PM

Thomas Cole
Landscape Scene from the Last of the Mohicans
1827
Oil on canvas
New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, NY, USA

Image may take a moment to load.

Thomas Cole was the leader of the Hudson River School, a group of painters who produced Romantic works of America's wilderness; primarily in the Hudson River area but also the newly opened West. Others included Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church (who I might cover some other day).

This famous image is also known simply as Last of the Mohicans, and is one of several works Cole produced that were inspired by the famous James Fenimore Coopers novel "The Last of the Mohicans" (subtitled "A Narrative of 1757") that was first published in 1826. In many ways this work is considered the first American novel. The painting, one of a series of four drawn from Cooper’s novel, was commissioned by the Stevens family of Hoboken, New Jersey, for the main cabin of the Hudson River steamboat the Albany. While at work on the painting Cole had visited the settings of Cooper's novel, including Lake George and Fort Ticonderoga.

I believe this painting depicts the point in the novel when Hawkeye enters the camp of the Mohicans (but I'm not certain). The figures are dwarfed by the sheer magnificance of the surrounding landscape, which slightly disconcerting to modern viewers, was fundamental to the goal of the painting.

A very famous, and quite beautiful work.

Mr Mephisto

Seething · 12-10-2004, 09:57 PM

What a magnificent painting. I especially like the emphasis on landscape, rather than the people, helping to get the message across. I always like landscapes, and level of detail involved in shadows, foliage, and wide range of colors involved in mountains.

Good post!

12-10-2004, 06:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mephisto2 Junkie	Artwork of the Day - 11 December 2004 Thomas Cole *Landscape Scene from the Last of the Mohicans* 1827 Oil on canvas New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, NY, USA Image may take a moment to load. Thomas Cole was the leader of the Hudson River School, a group of painters who produced Romantic works of America's wilderness; primarily in the Hudson River area but also the newly opened West. Others included Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church (who I might cover some other day). This famous image is also known simply as *Last of the Mohicans*, and is one of several works Cole produced that were inspired by the famous James Fenimore Coopers novel "The Last of the Mohicans" (subtitled "A Narrative of 1757") that was first published in 1826. In many ways this work is considered the first American novel. The painting, one of a series of four drawn from Cooper’s novel, was commissioned by the Stevens family of Hoboken, New Jersey, for the main cabin of the Hudson River steamboat the Albany. While at work on the painting Cole had visited the settings of Cooper's novel, including Lake George and Fort Ticonderoga. I believe this painting depicts the point in the novel when Hawkeye enters the camp of the Mohicans (but I'm not certain). The figures are dwarfed by the sheer magnificance of the surrounding landscape, which slightly disconcerting to modern viewers, was fundamental to the goal of the painting. A very famous, and quite beautiful work. Mr Mephisto

12-10-2004, 09:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
Seething Insane	What a magnificent painting. I especially like the emphasis on landscape, rather than the people, helping to get the message across. I always like landscapes, and level of detail involved in shadows, foliage, and wide range of colors involved in mountains. Good post! __________________ Common sense is uncommon. Ironic, isn't it?