
Picturesque and Sublime
Thomas Cole's Trans-Atlantic Inheritance
Yale University Press
Published on 6. March 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-0-300-23353-7 (ISBN)
Description
Landscape art in the early 19th century was guided by two rival concepts: the picturesque, which emphasized touristic pleasures and visual delight, and the sublime, an aesthetic category rooted in notions of fear and danger. British artists including J.M.W. Turner and John Constable raised landscape painting to new heights and their work reached global audiences through the circulation of engravings. Thomas Cole, born in England, emigrated to the United States in 1818, and first absorbed the picturesque and sublime through print media. Cole transformed British and continental European traditions to create a distinctive American form of landscape painting. The authors here explore the role of prints as agents of artistic transmission and look closely at how Cole's own creative process was driven by works on paper such as drawings, notebooks, letters, and manuscripts. Also considered is the importance of the parallel works of William Guy Wall, best known for his pioneering Hudson River Portfolio. Beautifully illustrated with works on paper ranging from watercolors to etchings, mezzotints, aquatints, engravings, and lithographs, as well as notable paintings, this book offers important insights into Cole's formulation of a profound new category in art-the American sublime.
Published in association with the Thomas Cole National Historic Site
Exhibition Schedule:
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
(05/01/18-11/04/18)
Published in association with the Thomas Cole National Historic Site
Exhibition Schedule:
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
(05/01/18-11/04/18)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
120 color illus.
Dimensions
Height: 279 mm
Width: 229 mm
Weight
1179 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-23353-7 (9780300233537)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Tim Barringer is Paul Mellon Professor in the History of Art at Yale University. Gillian Forrester is senior curator of historic fine art at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. Jennifer Raab is assistant professor in the history of art at Yale University. Sophie Lynford and Nicholas Robbins are doctoral candidates in the history of art at Yale University.