Hunters in a Landscape ^Sale

Thomas Cole (1824-1825)

In early works like this, probably inspired by ColeÕs first hikes through the Catskill Mountains, the artist divides the landscape into distinct visual registers. In the background there is a lake and mountain range. In the foreground, two figures, each dressed in different clothing, perhaps hunters or hikers, meet on a carriage path. One of the most illuminated sections of the painting is a gnarled tree that has three trunks, each in a different stage of life. InÊEssay on American SceneryÊ(1836), Cole writes: ÒTrees are like men, differing widely in character; in sheltered spots, or under the influence of culture, they show few contrasting points; peculiarities are pruned and trained away, until there is a general resemblance. But in exposed situations, wild and uncultivated, battling with the elements and with one another for the possession of a morsel of soil, or a favoring rock to which they may clingÑthey exhibit striking peculiarities, and sometimes grand originality.Ó

Gift of Dr. Susan Gates Austin Warner