A Pic-Nic Party Thomas Cole (American, born England, 1801-1848). A Pic-Nic Party, 1846. Oil on canvas, 47 7/8 x 54 in. ( x cm). Thomas Cole undertook this painting in the fall of 1845 in response to a generous commission from the wealthy New York banker and philanthropist James Brown. Cole chose the subject of a picnic to describe the ideal coexistence of nature and civilization. The demand for paintings like this one that combined the figural and natural was a result, at least in part, of the rising popularity of outdoor leisure-time pursuits, including excursions such as picnics.
A Pic-Nic Party Thomas Cole (American, born England, 1801-1848). A Pic-Nic Party, 1846. Oil on canvas, 47 7/8 x 54 in. ( x cm). Thomas Cole undertook this painting in the fall of 1845 in response to a generous commission from the wealthy New York banker and philanthropist James Brown. Cole chose the subject of a picnic to describe the ideal coexistence of nature and civilization. The demand for paintings like this one that combined the figural and natural was a result, at least in part, of the rising popularity of outdoor leisure-time pursuits, including excursions such as picnics. However, hints of time’s passage and mortality invade this otherwise lighthearted scene through the ax-cut tree stump so prominent in the foreground. American Art 1846
Size: 2732px × 1830px
Photo credit: © BBM / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ?
