The Oxbow, Thomas ColeART 101(2 Pages | 942 Words)Â Â Â Â Thomas Cole uses an implied line to separate the dark, untouched forest and dark sky with the tranquil, cultivated farmland below. Cole uses an actual line to outline the banks of the Connecticut River bending through the pastoral la...
thomas coleart 1012 pages | 942 wordsÂnbspÂnbspÂnbspÂnbspthomas cole uses an implied line to separate the dark
untouched forest and dark sky with the tranquil
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The Oxbow, Thomas Cole
ART 101
(2 Pages | 942 Words)
Thomas Cole uses an implied line to separate the dark, untouched forest and dark sky
with the tranquil, cultivated farmland below. Cole uses an actual line to outline the banks
of the Connecticut River bending through the pastoral land. Actual lines are also used to
define the edge of the horizon in the distance. He also used actual lines to portray the
rows of manicured farmland.
The first geometric shape I could make out is the triangle of the tiny easel in the middle
ground. Other geometric shapes include the outlines of the pastures and fields. You see
very angular boundaries and rows of plowed fields. There are plenty of organic shapes
as well. Most notably of course is the shape of the river’s bend but also the more subtle
question-mark shape of the birds flying in formation. You can also make out logging
scares on the hillsides. It was later discovered that those scares were Hebrew letters
spelling “Shaddai”.
Since I am analyzing a painting, mass must be implied. Cole is able to use shading to
imply the mass of the storm clouds. He also paints the glassy river water from bank to
bank showing the mass of the river. Space is created in this painting in two ways. First,
Cole overlaps the cliff on the landscape below. By his vertical placement of the cliff in the
lower corner of the picture plane, he further emphasizes the illusion of space. Second,
the diminishing size of the river allows us to imagine depth in the scene. It appears to
move away from us in to the farmland. The Oxbow is an example of atmospheric
perspective. The foreground is very dark and rich but as the landscape moves away the
hills and sky become bluer, paler, and less distinct. The objects in the valley are blurrier
to illustrate this vast space even further. The implied changes in the position of the
darker clouds and the overlapping of these clouds to the apparent stationary white
clouds, also the curve of the rain clouds all imply these dark storm clouds are moving out
to the left. Cole also uses a very subtle technique of giving the right half of the painting
sunlight and fades the sunlight as our eyes move to the left implying that the sun is
moving in from the right and the bad weather is moving out to the left. The actual light
doesn’t appear to have an effect on this paining. However, implied light does. Cole uses
chiaroscuro to create the illusion of the ominous nature of the forest and the dark clouds,
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