American Lake Scene
Thomas Cole

Like many other artists of his generation, Cole sought to express the spiritual in the actual. Here, a small lake, a cloudless sky, a fallen tree, and a lone Indian evoke the peace and tranquility of the American wilderness.

A contemporary critic recognized Cole's intention when this picture was exhibited in New York in 1844. "It is the very poetry of solitude," he wrote, "and you hold your breath lest the echo of your voice should frighten you . . . . It looks like the earth before God breathed on it."