View on the Catskill—Early Autumn

Thomas Cole

1836–37 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Cole was enraptured by the pictureseque landscape along the Hudson River in upstate New York and spent much of his time at his home on the Catskill Creek tributary. By 1837, when he painted this view, the region was rapidly transforming. The Canajoharie and Catskill Railroad was being constructed through its heart, dooming hundreds of trees. Cole, who was also a poet and essayist, wrote in despair of the ruthless sacrifice. Here, the misty glow on the distant mountains, the calm water, and the pastoral figures constitute a scene that he mourned as lost forever.

Artist

Thomas Cole

Date

1836–37

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift in memory of Jonathan Sturges by his children, 1895