Genesee Scenery

Thomas Cole was one of the leading painters in the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School was a group of nineteenth-century American artists who depicted romantic views of a vast American landscape. Cole’s Genesee Scenery is an excellent example of such landscapes. Although Cole would sketch in nature, he would execute his paintings later in his studio. Cole drew the sketch for Genesee Scenery several years before using it for a painting. Although critics at the time saw this painting as one of Cole’s most “real” paintings, Cole likely would have idealized some elements when transferring his drawing to canvas. Genesee Scenery thus becomes a composite of the best of nature rather than a direct transcription of the scene onto canvas. Such idealization fit well with the styles of the Hudson River School and other nineteenth-century romantic landscape painters. Digitized static image of a painting of 'Genesee Scenery' by Thomas Cole.