Inspirations-
    Thomas Cole had a deep respect and appreciation of nature, choosing it as his prime subject matter and as a way to convey very deep allegorical and literary meaning. In the beginning of his career, Cole produced paintings and sketches which simply captured the grandeur and vibrancy of the natural environment. Many of his works were centered around the landscapes in the Catskills, White mountains, Adirondacks, and the coastal areas in Maine. Cole spent many years perfecting his oil painting techniques to capture the true feeling of being in harmony with the nature around us. Cole utilized very rich colors with high contrast to create a warm and comfortable feeling even when painting the harshest of landscapes.
     It wasn’t until after his mastery of oil technique mixed with experiences he gained from trips to Europe in 1829 and later in 1840 that he began to create paintings which utilized his landscape brilliance and mixing it with very deep meanings in historical events, religious themes and moral issues. Cole managed to capture the vibrancy of the human spirit to create grand things from nothing in his first series of paintings The Course of Empire. Sometime later, Cole again applied his skills in landscapes and deep meaning to the human condition in his brilliant series work; The Voyage of Life. He managed to create a parallel between the human cycle of life with the grandeur of nature. In one of his final works, Cole used his talent to convey the complex structure of our world in his final great work Home in the Woods.

Successes-
    Thomas Cole is accredited with many successes in the area of landscape paintings and their meaning. In the early portion of Cole’s career, he focused primarily on technique to capture the sheer beauty of the American landscape. His paintings allow one to see the splendor of a single moment in nature, whether it is a sunset, storm, or simply the wind blowing across a small forest lake. It wasn’t until later in his painting career that his paintings took on a much more allegorical meaning.
     Cole began placing small symbols throughout his paintings which represent various historical events and ideas that were prevalent during that time in contemporary society. He is often the first artist considered to have drawn these kinds of parallels between the human spirit and nature. Some of his most influential works concerning the deep meaning of being paired with the forces of nature can be seen in his works such as The Course of Empire, a five painting series following a civilization from the savage state through its destruction and desolation, or the Voyage of Life, a series which captured the passage of time and how it affects man as well as nature.
     Perhaps from all of his success, the most influential is his founding of the Hudson River School of painting. The school is a group of American painters of the mid-1800’s who use landscapes to portray deep meaning. Cole’s brilliant use of landscapes of the paired with a “romantic” vision forever changed the way that artist would use landscapes to increase the meaning of certain issues and literary associations.
     Perhaps his only failure was his failure to live a long life and allow more of his brilliant works.