. International studio. stingsubjects. Cole camped near them frequently andsaw them with their flocks—a quiet race, mindfuloi their own affairs, who were accustomed to go tobed at seven oclock and leave the painter in asilence unbroken save for the occasional crumblingof some claybank. Of the two subjects before him,the Indians and the desert, the artist, thoughoriginally a figure painter, chose the latter, beingdeeply impressed by its solemn grandeur andbeauty of form. In only one ol his pictures do anykind ol figures appear, Towers of de Chelly,and they are so insignificant as to have no oth
. International studio. stingsubjects. Cole camped near them frequently andsaw them with their flocks—a quiet race, mindfuloi their own affairs, who were accustomed to go tobed at seven oclock and leave the painter in asilence unbroken save for the occasional crumblingof some claybank. Of the two subjects before him,the Indians and the desert, the artist, thoughoriginally a figure painter, chose the latter, beingdeeply impressed by its solemn grandeur andbeauty of form. In only one ol his pictures do anykind ol figures appear, Towers of de Chelly,and they are so insignificant as to have no othereffect than to emphasize the punmess ol man. Cole says thatthere are mam rea-sons why this part ofArizona appeals tohim more than anyother portion of ourwestern desert. Itsunusual beauts makesa constant appeal tohis imagination. Itsskyline presents a con-tinually changing ar-rangement of lines,due to its buttes, itscanons and its lowlying clouds. There isgreater brilliance ofcolor here—even thetrees, when they ap-. in El Capitan, the main configura-tion of the land has taken shape gradually. Thebuttes and canons and mesas have grown oldtogether and there is a feeling of consonance, ofinfinite relation between them. Such a picture asAbandoned Stronghold shows his response tothis aspect of desert landscape. It passes on tothe beholder the impression of harmony andstructural unity. In Towers of de Chelly thegreat pinnacle near the center, worn out slowlyfrom the rest of the cliff, impresses one with a kindol consulship to the greater mass from which it hassplit away. These subtle relations do not existwhere volcanic action or sudden disturbanceshave altered and twisted the earths pictures have the mark of individualitythat belongs to the art-ist who has gained amastery over technicaldifficulties and hasswung into his not only succeedsin giving us a vivid por-trayal of a beautifullandscape, but he hasfixed in our memorieshis own individual man-ner and
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