C Blackerby

Columbia College

                                                      Author Note

Work of art – A View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (1836), a painting that is largely recognized as The Oxbow.

By Thomas Cole. Oil on canvas.

                                                         Abstract

The subject matter of Thomas Cole's work The Oxbow depicts a quixotic panorama of the Connecticut River Valley just after a thunderstorm. The Oxbow is a seminal landscape painting by Thomas Cole who was the founder of Hudson River School. By Thomas Cole. At first glance, this painting may seem to be nothing more than an interesting view of a recognizable bend in the Connecticut River. The painting is a depicting of Romantic panorama of River Connecticut Valley immediately after the occurrence of thunderstorm.– – A View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (1836), a painting that is largely recognized as The Oxbow. This is painting is extremely intriguing to me, I consider it a masterpiece because at first glance it may seem like just a landscape painting.

Keywords: painting | landscape | river | Connecticut | Cole | right | left | civilization | Thomas | oxbow |

Work of art – A View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (1836), a painting that is largely recognized as The Oxbow. By Thomas Cole. Oil on canvas. At first glance, this painting may seem to be nothing more than an interesting view of a recognizable bend in the Connecticut River. But when viewed through the lens of nineteenth-century political ideology, this painting eloquently speaks about the widely discussed topic of westward expansion. This is painting is extremely intriguing to me, I consider it a masterpiece because at first glance it may seem like just a landscape painting. However, at a closer look, one can almost crawl inside of the picture as this artwork communicates to the viewer through the superiority of visual elements and principles of design. The Oxbow is a seminal landscape painting by Thomas Cole who was the founder of Hudson River School. The painting is the depicting of Romantic panorama of River Connecticut Valley immediately after the occurrence of a thunderstorm. Romanticism, termed for an artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late eighteenth century and migrating to America in the early nineteenth century. Cole, with his heightened interest in nature, emphasis on dramatic expressions of the imagination, and dissatisfaction with established social and artistic institutions, was the quintessential romantic artist. The painting has been mainly interpreted as a confrontation between civilization and wilderness. , this painting presents a more complex, though still polemical, statement on the potential direction of American society. The uncultivated landscape to the left is at once threatening and enticing, while the cultivated land to the right presents an equivocal image of security, complicated by the presence of scar-lines in the forest on the far hills: signs of the aggressive over-husbandry of the land. Debate exists as to whether a written message can be made out in these marks, with some scholars believing that the lines were intended to spell out the word "Noah" in Hebrew, and would, from the aerial perspective of God, read "Shaddai" or "The Almighty". If that reading is accepted, then the landscape - which, after all, shows a floodplain - stands for the hubris of human society awaiting the cleansing force of the divine judgment. This painting shows two very diverse characteristics of the American landscape. To the right of the canvas, the Connecticut River wanders delicately through developed fields under a blue sky, and to the left, dense grey mists of clouds drape over a green woodland of trees and foliage. The painting features an unadorned contrast between the feral backwoods on the left and the growth of refinement, of civilization on the right. The subject matter of Thomas Cole's work The Oxbow depicts a quixotic panorama of the Connecticut River Valley just after a thunderstorm. emphatically attracts our focus to this frontier line: the painting is split in half along the diagonal, decisively contrasting a picture that sums up what Cole described as “a union of the picturesque”. Visual description of the work Deploying techniques of lighting, composition, color, and line, Cole successfully symbolizes on the confrontation between wilderness and civilization. The painting is considered a specific landscape that looked down upon the Connecticut River in realistic gesticulation. Further, oil is used in the painting to create 6’4’’ X 4’3’5’.

Description

The Oxbow painting moves from the wilderness that is percolated with trees on rugged cliffs. In the foreground, the painting is covered with thunderstorm, violent clouds with a cultivated landscape on the right. On the left, the painting is peaceful and light-filled. Looking at the painting clearly, you can see the self-portrait of the artist, Cole sitting on a rock in the foreground. Cole personalized the work by depicting himself at the center of the canvas (Scott, 2019). Gazing back at the viewer from between two crags, the minute figure of the artist preserves the landscape on his canvas before it is lost, and, perhaps, invites our own judgment on the scene. This personal element reflects Cole's feeling of emotional connection to the work, which now stands as one of the most quintessential examples of mid-19th-century North American landscape painting.

Visual elements

Line – Cole skillfully hinted at the heavy downpour in the distance, with the brushwork seeming to pull downwards. If you look closely, you can also see lightning in the lower left of the sky. Cole uses the actual lines to attract the viewer’s attention to the key idea of the painting. For instance, lines that are created by the river first draw the viewer’s attention. There is a good use of the diagonal lines to dividing the painting between the river and forest.

Shape – the artist includes both geometric and organic shapes in the painting. Notice how organic all the shapes are on the left compared to the more geometric shapes on the right side. For instance, the edges of the forest depict a good example of organic shapes, and the rectangular, circular shape of the river forms a geometric part of his composition. There is a balance between the two.

Mass – Cole used a high level of detail all throughout the painting, even for the clouds in the distance. As a result, there does not appear to be a key focal point. Rather, the painting as a whole seems to be in focus (Scott, 2019). There is a combination of actual and implied mass hence resulting in the painting diversity. The river, background, and the sky are very static in comparison to the mobile trees in front of the painting.

Space – The trees appear incredibly dense. I am not sure how Cole painted this, but I assume he started with a dark base color then went over the top with lighter greens to add detail. There is also a dull cluster of trees in the distance which helps create a sense of depth in the painting. The river provides that classic "S" shape we so commonly see in landscapes. It also appears very neat. The scattered trees and patches of land show the growing civilization and contrast against the dense vegetation on the left. Space can be described as very contrasting – there are thunderstorms and falling trees on the left-hand side, which limits the space. In addition, we have a clear sky and an open river, which opens the whole painting and hence imposing the feeling that the storm is going away (Scott, 2019).

Time and motion – the composition is very static. The implied motion of the river and clouds move it and hence create an impression of an active painting. This can be clearly seen by following the diagonal line that is dividing the painting and capture’s the viewer attention on the fading storm.

Light – there is an implication of sunlight emanating from right-hand side. The sky is painted with delicate brushwork and many highlights. The orange streak on the horizon line provides a strong sense of light and really pulls you through the painting. For the sky, dark grays are used to paint the dramatic storm. Notice the subtle variation in color temperature, with some parts picking up the warmth of the light, and other parts being left in the cold shadow (Scott, 2019). The implied source light on the right side of the painting creates shade on the left side and hence resulting in a dynamic arrangement.

Color – The colors are soft and painted within a tight value range. There are no strong darks, with the darkest tone being around the middle of the value range. So on the left, there are no strong lights and on the right, there are no strong darks. The trees, leaves, and plants are painted with rich greens and browns; exactly what you would expect to see in the untamed wilderness. There are no strong highlights, with most of the lights being around the middle of the value range. This allows all the colors to appear very rich and full (colors tend to be less saturated at the very light end of the value range) (Scott, 2019). Cole uses pure color – a variation of blue and green. This paints an overall impression of natural harmony.

Texture – the artist used implied texture through the use of color, light, and other such visual elements to depict an impression of various textures in an ordinary horizontal painting.

Principles of design

Unity and variety – owing to the use of shades of blue and green, the painting seems united. There is also a contrasting variety of shapes and light.

Balance – the painting is not symmetrical. This is because it changes from the gloomy wilderness with a nurtured landscape on the light, crushed trees on the left with a limit of the river.

Emphasis and subordination – in my opinion, I think the focal point of Oxbow painting is the river. The artist emphasized the river much in the painting. All the shapes, colors, and contrasts bring together the viewer’s eyes to the captivating shape of the river.

Directional forces – the artist directed the painting composition by the use of diagonals. The river’s lines and the diagonal divides the line of change of clouds and hence slicing the composition diagonally.

Contrast – the contrast used in the painting is the single aspect of the painting. First, the viewer notices the dark and light landscape and then clear sky and wild clouds. The painting is contrasted by the wilderness on the left side and cultivated landscape on its right side. It is safe to suggest that everything is contrasting each other color, shape, the lines, and other painting’s visual elements.

Repetition and rhythm – there is much repetition in the painting’s composition – it is fairly simple in objects that ad to the slow rhythm that depicts harmony.

Scale and proportion – the painting looks proportional owing to the extensive use of contrasts. Further, the scaling used in the painting is harmonic and there are no many objects that stand out.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I contend that “The Oxbow” painting is a masterpiece of the American landscape crucial painting- it is entangled with historical interpretations. Its usage of unique visual elements gives its beautiful depiction of a true work of art. Furthermore, it is significant to note that the artist’s unequivocal composition and construction of the scenes in the painting, is charged with moral significance. This is stimulated by depicting himself in the foreground – an American creating magnificent American art.

Works Cited

Scott, D. (2019, March 01). the-oxbow-thomas-cole. Retrieved from Draw Paint Academy: https://drawpaintacademy.com/the-oxbow-thomas-cole/

Roque, Oswaldo Rodriguez. "" The Oxbow" by Thomas Cole: Metropolitan Museum Journal 17 (201): 63-73.

Bjelajac, D. (2014). Thomas Cole's Oxbow. American Art, 20(1), 60-83.

Scott, D. (2019, March 01). the-oxbow-thomas-cole. Retrieved from Draw Paint Academy: https://drawpaintacademy.com/the-oxbow-thomas-cole/ .

Figures

Figure 1. Work of art – A View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (1836), a painting that is largely recognized as The Oxbow.

By Thomas Cole. Oil on canvas (2019, March 01).