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Art: Thomas Cole and the Decline of Western Society

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The image of the noble and pristine agrarian culture degenerating into the corrupt and venal urban civilization has long persisted in Western mythology, echoed in writings as diverse as the Ancient Roman historian Tacitus to the 18th century French writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

 

The inevitable collapse and destruction of urban society, according to many modern writers, results in the chaos and confusion of a future nightmare setting as depicted in George Miller's post-apocalyptic The Road Warriors from the Mad Max series.

 

In the years 1833-36 Thomas Cole, an early American landscape artist, created a series that reflected this pessimistic belief. His series, titled The Course of Empire, is rich in Ancient Roman imagery to depict this decline.

 

The five paintings below are from The Course of Empire series. (The fourth painting is my favorite.) Remember, one must be logged in to see the images.

 

The first painting in the series, The Savage State, captures the pristine beauty of the wilderness.

 

picture pending

 

The second painting, The Arcadian or Pastoral State, represents the pre-urbanized Greek ideal.

 

post-3665-0-02269000-1344043145_thumb.png

 

 

The third painting, The Consummation of Empire, depicts the city state in all of its Ancient glory.

 

post-3665-0-80653900-1344043202_thumb.png

 

The fourth painting (the most impressive), Destruction, shows the Ancient city being destroyed by enemy warriors as they sail up the river. Many think that this imagery was inspired by the Vandals

post-3665-0-03323500-1344043256_thumb.jpg

post-3665-0-86492000-1344043424_thumb.png

Edited by guy

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