Study for The Pilgrim of the World on His Journey 1848

Thomas Cole created this oil on canvas titled *Study for The Pilgrim of the World on His Journey*. Cole, who was born in industrial England and later immigrated to the United States, founded the Hudson River School, which focused on landscape painting. Here, we see how Cole engages with the Romantic idea of the sublime, which places nature as a powerful, awe-inspiring force. In contrast to the emerging industrialization of the time, Cole's landscapes offer an idealized vision of nature. Look at the solitary pilgrim at the center of the painting. This figure suggests a spiritual journey. What do you make of the dichotomy between the wildness of the landscape and the pilgrim's contemplative experience? Cole once said, "To walk with nature as a poet is the necessary condition of a perfect artist." In that sense, the artist invites us to reflect on our place in the natural world, and how these landscapes shape not only our physical surroundings, but also our internal, emotional landscapes.