Landscape with Figures; A Scene from ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ 1826

Thomas Cole's 1826 painting, "Landscape with Figures; A Scene from ‘The Last of the Mohicans’", is a prime example of the Hudson River School style. The painting depicts a dramatic and melancholic scene in the American wilderness, highlighting the Romantic ideal of nature's power. The artist's use of dark and moody tones, combined with the dramatic, almost theatrical, positioning of figures and elements like a waterfall, emphasizes the awe-inspiring scale of the landscape. This scene, inspired by the novel “The Last of the Mohicans,” captures the essence of the American wilderness, becoming a popular subject for Cole and other artists of the Hudson River School.