The Course of Empire — Thomas Cole
A social and historical study through several paintings.
This article serves as the nerve center from which the specific writings of each picture that Thomas Cole painted emerge to give his particular point of view on empires throughout history.
Based on his experiences as an observer of historic ruins in Italy, Cole painted what he believed to be the different phases or “stages” through which virtually all the empires that had emerged (basically in the West) over several millennia had passed.
It is a fascinating composite work with the particularity of having a very pronounced didactic aspect since any observer can learn something about history simply by looking at it.
The Savage State
In this first painting of the particular cycle of the empire, Cole paints a landscape in which nature is the main protagonist.
The Arcadian State
The evolution of man as a society leads him to look at his relationship with his…
