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Thomas Cole

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Artist

The Resume

    (February 1, 1801-February 11, 1848)
    Born in Bolton le Moors, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
    Founder of the Hudson River School of art
    Painter of romantic portrayals of the American wilderness
    Co-founded the National Academy of Deisgn (1825)
    Paintings include 'View of Round-Top in the Catskill Mountains' (1827), 'The Garden of Eden' (1828), 'The Titan's Goblet' (1833), 'The Course of Empire' series (1833-1836), 'The Oxbow' (1836), 'Shroon Mountain, Adirondacks' (1838), 'The Architect's Dream' (1840), 'A View from Mount Etna from Taormina' (1842), 'The Voyage of Life' (1842), and 'A View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, Morning' (1844)
    Died of pleurisy in Catskill, New York
    Friezes painted by him on his home's walls discovered having been painted over (2014)

Why he might be annoying:

    He disliked cities and moved out of them whenever he could.
    His opposition to populism, urbanism, and Westward expansion led many to view him as a reactionary unable to connect with the common man.
    He believed a pastoral lifestyle is the optimal lifestyle for mankind.
    'The Course of Empire' series of paintings never went beyond being a didactic machine despite its moral seriousness and formal ingenuity.
    He was forgotten within a few years after his death.

Why he might not be annoying:

    As a child, he witnessed class violence caused by industrialization.
    His fourth child Elizabeth died in infancy.
    He died before his fifth and youngest child Thomas Jr. was born.
    He painted 'The Course of Empire' to protest the environmental damage caused by reckless development.
    His entry for the Ohio Statehouse won third premium, and the finished building highly resembles his entry. (1838)
    The fourth highest peak in the Catskills is named in his honor.

Credit: Big Lenny


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying