Thomas Cole Oxbow Analysis
Thomas Cole, The Oxbow
Usually when I flip through my art book I come across many beautiful pieces, but when my eyes landed on Thomas Cole’s painting I was blown away. The first thing I did when I came across it was touch the paper because you would believe that you can feel the leaves by the way they are painted, and don’t get me started on the values of green that he used to make the piece one harmonious view of nature. I love everything about this landscape piece because it tells a story and the use of space, line and texture made it seem like it was a realistic scene. Thomas Cole Painted this large piece from sketches that he drew from sitting and observing the looping bend of the Connecticut river from Mount Holyoke.
The Oxbow is a complex
piece that was done in 1836 but you wouldn’t believe that it was done so long ago because of the dimensions and composition that Cole achieved at that time period. This painting is a play on your eyes in three ways and the use of a diagonal line helps the story I believe. On the left you see a dark storm and a gloomy sky, while on the right you see a brighter side and sunlight after a storm. The right side has its own narrative because you see more of civilization on that side. The most important piece of the painting is Cole himself in the middle of painting looking back at you while his bag and umbrella is on a higher tier pointing towards the right side or from my take the “light”. I believe the meaning behind this piece is going from an unruly side to a more positive and better side and Cole is there watching the progress, or painting the progress from what I see because he is literally painting the piece in his painting. You can go even deeper and say that it expresses how America is coming about because during that time we was still expanding and building our country and maybe this depicts our early steps.
One thing that I cannot get over is the details because I kid you not it amazes me and it is something I would like to achieve when I start painting. When I looked at some of the close up pictures, I loved how he used white to not only create texture but highlight and value. The smudges, dots and lines of white throughout the painting is such pure beauty and I can confidently say I have a new favorite artist.
Usually when I flip through my art book I come across many beautiful pieces, but when my eyes landed on Thomas Cole’s painting I was blown away. The first thing I did when I came across it was touch the paper because you would believe that you can feel the leaves by the way they are painted, and don’t get me started on the values of green that he used to make the piece one harmonious view of nature. I love everything about this landscape piece because it tells a story and the use of space, line and texture made it seem like it was a realistic scene. Thomas Cole Painted this large piece from sketches that he drew from sitting and observing the looping bend of the Connecticut river from Mount Holyoke.
The Oxbow is a complex
piece that was done in 1836 but you wouldn’t believe that it was done so long ago because of the dimensions and composition that Cole achieved at that time period. This painting is a play on your eyes in three ways and the use of a diagonal line helps the story I believe. On the left you see a dark storm and a gloomy sky, while on the right you see a brighter side and sunlight after a storm. The right side has its own narrative because you see more of civilization on that side. The most important piece of the painting is Cole himself in the middle of painting looking back at you while his bag and umbrella is on a higher tier pointing towards the right side or from my take the “light”. I believe the meaning behind this piece is going from an unruly side to a more positive and better side and Cole is there watching the progress, or painting the progress from what I see because he is literally painting the piece in his painting. You can go even deeper and say that it expresses how America is coming about because during that time we was still expanding and building our country and maybe this depicts our early steps.
One thing that I cannot get over is the details because I kid you not it amazes me and it is something I would like to achieve when I start painting. When I looked at some of the close up pictures, I loved how he used white to not only create texture but highlight and value. The smudges, dots and lines of white throughout the painting is such pure beauty and I can confidently say I have a new favorite artist.