Thomas Cole: The Artist as Architect

by Annette Blaugrund, Franklin Kelly, Barbara Novak

First study of the role of architecture in the work of Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of American painting. At the height of his career as the leader of the Hudson River School of American landscape painting, Thomas Cole listed himself in the New York City Directory as an architect. Why would this renowned painter, who had never before designed a building, advertise himself as such? The importance of Cole’s paintings and the significance of his essays, poems, and philosophy are well established, yet an analysis of his architectural endeavors and their impact on his painting has not been undertaken - until now. In celebration of the recreation of the artist’s self-designed Italianate studio at Cedar Grove in Catskill, New York, now the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, this book focuses on Cole’s architectural interests through architectural elements found in his paintings and drawings as well as in his realized and visionary projects, expanding our understanding of the breadth of his talents and interests. An essay by noted art historian Annette Blaugrund and a contribution by Franklin Kelly, illustrated with Cole’s famous works, sketches, and architectural renderings, reveal an unexplored, yet fascinating, aspect of the career of this beloved artist―and thus, a crucial moment in the development of the Hudson River School and American art. Published to coincide with the exhibition “Thomas The Artist as Architect” at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site and travelling to the Columbus Art Museum, the book adds a new dimension to scholarship on the artist.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

120 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2016

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good, slender volume on Cole which brings up some interesting details via two major essays. The first considers Cole's work as an architect through his involvement as designer of the Ohio statehouse and his own unrealized design of a family villa, and of his own studio which was completed. I read it in preparation of visiting Cole's studio, hopefully this summer. The second essay was more of a surprise. It discusses his imaginary landscapes and their influence on the next generation of landscape painters; it seems that the battle for realism, which was ultimately won by Ruskin and his followers, didn't pass without a fight. Not a definitive work on Cole, but it isn't meant to be. Well worth visiting for those interested in the Hudson River school, though.