Reframing an Empire, a new series on Hudson River School artist Thomas Cole‘s profound influence on American history is now airing on PBS.
Thomas Cole’s life and work coincide with a pivotal period in American history. Before Cole’s eyes and on his canvas, the newly formed nation would find a vision of its identity born and its future questioned. American history fixates on 1776 and 1865, but in the period between lies a rich and under-explored territory.
Cole was a founder of the Hudson River School art movement, and widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for his romantic landscape and historical paintings, primarily oil on canvas.
His paintings are typically allegoric and often depict small figures or structures set against moody and evocative natural landscapes. They are usually escapist, framing the New World as a natural eden contrasting with the smog-filled cityscapes of Industrial Revolution-era Britain, in which he grew up. His works criticized the contemporary trends of industrialism, urbanism, and westward expansion.
After 1827 Cole maintained a studio at the farm called Cedar Grove, in the town of Catskill, in Greene County, NY, where he painted a significant portion of his work. He died at Catskill on February 11, 1848.
The fourth highest peak in the Catskills is named Thomas Cole Mountain in his honor. Cedar Grove, also known as the Thomas Cole House, was declared a National Historic Site in 1999 and is now open to the public. You can learn more about the site on their website.
Episodes of Reframing an Empire are available to stream online at wmht.org.
My early memories of Livingston manor..i think we stayed at green acres or sendas farm in the 1940’s…then parksville
Fleishmans bungalows…I think there were 2 bros …owning 2 different places…then bagish bungalows in Monticello
Then ferndale we stayed at orchard house…owned by dunya banks…one side big rooming house other side the bungalows and pool…i even owned a summer home for 2 years in swan lake w my parents…loved the stevensville in swan lake …I had the best summers of my life in the mountains running around with my best friend honey…I’ve left out some places cause my memory not the best…used to buy pickles in parksville…there was a great luncheonette in parksville…but poppy’s in parksville was great…all the bakery’s in the towns…luncheonettes…candy stands,…kosher delis..Marsha’s for clothing…great jewelry store in liberty…loved the movies …I was in most towns ..in my teen years I drove and danced in every hotel…loved the fallsburg hotels..loch sheldrake..I was in mountains from 1940-1970…the hey days…of grossingers and the concord….most memories are vivid…I’m 84 now but still a kid from the summer mountains full of memories…that will never fade…