For this week's **Art Talk** we will be looking at the great compilation **The Voyage of Life** by Thomas Cole. In the [Hudson River Group tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-hudson-river-school-tour) of the National Gallery of Art in DC I highlighted Thomas Cole as "the groups founder, leader and "father" and he was also the teacher of Frederic Edwin Church." The National Gallery of Art has Thomas Cole's The Voyage of Life which is a group of four paintings beautifully set up in the museum in a circular fashion. Thomas Cole and Hudson River group artists were a part of the Romantic movement which "emphasized nature, imagination, emotion and the individual." This set of paintings show the journey of "man" on the river of life.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-skZJGLC/0/3888805c/L/IMG_20191109_111918994_HDR-L.jpg The Voyage of Life: Childhood Thomas Cole, 1842

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-sCXzMdz/0/4e341357/L/IMG_20191109_111934608_HDR-L.jpg The Voyage of Life: Youth Thomas Cole, 1842

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https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-HNtrPsh/0/4fb66742/L/IMG_20191109_111902467_HDR-L.jpg The Voyage of Life: Manhood Thomas Cole, 1842

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-fSRQDKg/0/564982d8/L/IMG_20191109_111911229_HDR-L.jpg The Voyage of Life: Old Age Thomas Cole, 1842

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://steemitimages.com/DQmaGiJ5Exn5zL4cJEFVahrn96ozJ8bVTWeXhqznp28SYy2/19.png > Thomas Cole believed landscape paintings could impart moral and religious values.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-skZJGLC/0/3888805c/L/IMG_20191109_111918994_HDR-L.jpg The Voyage of Life: Childhood Thomas Cole, 1842

> In “Childhood” a golden boat emerges from a darkened cave—a mysterious earthly source—from which a joyous infant reaches out to the world with wonder and naivete. Rose light bathes the scene of fertile beauty as an angelic figure guides the boat forward. Looking closely you can see the infant in the boat the angel standing in the rear of the boat guiding it. The details of this oil painting are gorgeous, as seen below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-kmDrJQZ/0/50e0dd59/XL/IMG_20191109_111924786_HDR-XL.jpg Details, The Voyage of Life: Childhood Thomas Cole, 1842

>In “Youth,” the voyager confidently assumes control at the helm of the boat. Oblivious to the increasing turbulence and unexpected twists of the stream, the pilgrim boldly strives to reach an aerial castle, emblematic of adolescent ambition for fame and glory. In Youth the vegetation is still thick and green. There are also attractions in the distance that beckon the traveler to go explore.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-sCXzMdz/0/4e341357/L/IMG_20191109_111934608_HDR-L.jpg The Voyage of Life: Youth Thomas Cole, 1842

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https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-HNtrPsh/0/4fb66742/L/IMG_20191109_111902467_HDR-L.jpg The Voyage of Life: Manhood Thomas Cole, 1842

>“Manhood.” As Cole said, “The helm of the boat is gone”; the voyager has lost control of his life. The angel looks down from the clouds as he is whirled toward violent rapids and bare, fractured rocks. Only divine intervention, Cole suggests, can save the voyager from a tragic fate. The old tree is the only plant life left and the rocks are surrounding the traveler. Instead of the sense freedom and exploration of "youth" in "manhood" things feel closed in and limited.

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>In the series’ last painting, “Old Age,” the stream of life has reached the ocean of eternity where the voyager floats aboard his broken, weathered vessel. All signs of nature and “corporeal existence” are cast aside. The guardian angel, whom he sees for the first time, directs his gaze toward a beckoning, soft light emerging from the parting clouds—the vision of eternal life. The flora is no completely gone from the scene. The angel is back and so is the direction the traveler is to go.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-fSRQDKg/0/564982d8/L/IMG_20191109_111911229_HDR-L.jpg The Voyage of Life: Old Age Thomas Cole, 1842

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Hive Connection** @armandosodano, a wonderful artist and Hiver just posted a very interesting piece [Showcase: Nature and ruins (detail) - watercolors and photographs](https://peakd.com/hive-148441/@armandosodano/showcase-nature-and-ruins-detail-watercolors-and-photographs) about life and death and also pointed out the "Romantic" connection and the plant life in the cycle of life. Thomas Cole painted the initial set of painting for Samuel Ward in 1840. Samuel Ward died in 1839 without seeing the completed paintings. Cole got permission from the Ward family to show the paintings at the National Academy of Design in New York. Then the paintings went to the Ward family and were left un-hung and unseen. In 1842 he painted a second set while in Europe and this is the set that hangs in the National Gallery of Art in DC. Sources: [NGA: The Voyage of Life](https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/cole-the-voyage-of-life-childhood.html) [NGA American Paintings PDF](https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/american-paintings-19th-century-part-1.pdf) [Your Dictionary- Romanticism](https://www.yourdictionary.com/romanticism) https://steemitimages.com/DQmaGiJ5Exn5zL4cJEFVahrn96ozJ8bVTWeXhqznp28SYy2/19.png **Art Talk Series Highlights** **2020** [Art Talk: Recycled Plastic Art Movement](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-recycled-plastic-art-movement) [Art Talk: Gates of Paradise](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-gates-of-paradise) **March- Italian Renaissance** [Art Talk: NGA Italian Renaissance Tour](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-italian-renaissance-tour) [Art Talk: Raphael](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-raphael) [Art Talk: Venus](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-venus) [Art Talk: Egg Tempera](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-egg-tempera) [Art Talk: Guest Blogger, @laurabellamy](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-guest-blogger-laurabellamy) **April- French Impressionism** [Art Talk: NGA French Impressionism Tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-french-impressionism-tour) [Art Talk: Fredric Bazille](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-fredric-bazille) [Art Talk: The Mother and Sister of the Artist](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-the-mother-and-sister-of-the-artist) [Art Talk: En plein air ](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-en-plein-air) **May- Hudson River School** [Art Talk: NGA Hudson River School Tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-hudson-river-school-tour) [Art Talk: Albert Bierstadt](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-albert-bierstadt)

**2018** [Art Talk: Introduction](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-introduction) [Art Talk: Emotion in Bronze](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-emotion-in-bronze) [Art Talk: Moore Across America](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/5zdfqm-art-talk-moore-across-america) [Art Talk: Bronze](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-bronze) [Art Talk: Moore in America](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-moore-in-america) [Art Talk: King and Queen](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-king-and-queen) [Art Talk: Art Tells Our Story](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-art-tells-our-story) [Art Talk: Highlight Tour of the MET](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-highlight-tour-of-the-met) [Art Talk: The Burghers of Calais](https://steempeak.com/@sjarvie5/art-talk-the-burghers-of-calais) [Art Talk: Auguste Rodin](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-auguste-rodin) [Art Talk: Art in Paris in the 1870s](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-art-in-paris-in-the-1870s) [Art Talk: Guest Blogger, Frankie O'Neill](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-guest-blogger-frankie-o-neill) [Art Talk: "Felt is a happy fabric."](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-felt-is-a-happy-fabric) [Art Talk: Murals in Klamath Falls](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-murals-in-klamath-falls) [Art Talk: Woman with a Parasol- Madame Monet and Her Son](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-woman-with-a-parasol-madame-monet-and-her-son) [Art Talk: Respect and Compassion](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-respect-and-compassion)

**2019** [Art Talk: Art Connects Us](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-art-connects-us) [Art Talk: My mother's crystal](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-my-mother-s-crystal) [Art Talk: Mother and Child](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-mother-and-child) [Art Talk: Tour of the Galleria dell' Accademia](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-tour-of-the-galleria-dell-accademia) [Art Talk: Walking tour of Florence, Italy](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-walking-tour-of-florence-italy) [Art Talk: Chihuly at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-chihuly-at-the-oklahoma-city-museum-of-art) [Art Talk: Vatican tour highlights](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-vatican-tour-highlights) [Art Talk: Ceilings in the Vatican](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-ceilings-in-the-vatican) [Art Talk: Chihuly at Kew Gardens](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-chihuly-at-kew-gardens) [Art Talk: MET Highlight tour](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-met-highlight-tour) [Art Talk: Japan at the MET](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-japan-at-the-met) [Art Talk: Up Close with French art at the National Gallery of Art in DC](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-up-close-with-french-art-at-the-national-gallery-of-art-in-dc) [Art Talk: Kelpies](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-kelpies) [Art Talk: Buying from local artists](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-buying-from-local-artists) [Art Talk: Guest Blogger, Joia Doiron](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-guest-blogger-joia-doiron) [Haveyoubeenhere 2019 Steemitworldmap travel contest- Four Wonderful Museums](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/haveyoubeenhere-2019-steemitworldmap-travel-contest-four-wonderful-museums)

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