The Past, 1838 by Thomas Cole
Canvas Print - 19128-CTH
Location: Five College Museum, Massachusetts, USAOriginal Size: 103 x 153.7 cm
Giclée Canvas Print | $54.71 USD
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By using the red up or down arrows, you have the option to proportionally increase or decrease the printed area in inches as per your preference.
*Max printing size: 26.5 x 41.3 in
*Max framing size: Long side up to 28"
"The Past" will be custom-printed for your order using the latest giclée printing technology. This technique ensures that the Canvas Print captures an exceptional level of detail, showcasing vibrant and vivid colors with remarkable clarity.
Our use of the finest quality, fine-textured canvas lends art reproductions a painting-like appearance. Combined with a satin-gloss coating, it delivers exceptional print outcomes, showcasing vivid colors, intricate details, deep blacks, and impeccable contrasts. The canvas structure is also highly compatible with canvas stretching frames, further enhancing its versatility.
To ensure proper stretching of the artwork on the stretcher-bar, we add additional blank borders around the printed area on all sides.
Our printing process utilizes cutting-edge technology and employs the Giclée printmaking method, ensuring exceptional quality. The colors undergo independent verification, guaranteeing a lifespan of over 100 years.
Please note that there are postal restrictions limiting the size of framed prints to a maximum of 28 inches along the longest side of the painting. If you desire a larger art print, we recommend utilizing the services of your local framing studio.
*It is important to mention that the framing option is unavailable for certain paintings, such as those with oval or round shapes.
If you select a frameless art print of "The Past" by Thomas Cole, it will be prepared for shipment within 48 hours. However, if you prefer a framed artwork, the printing and framing process will typically require approximately 7-8 days before it is ready to be shipped.
We provide complimentary delivery for up to two unframed (rolled-up) art prints in a single order. Our standard delivery is free and typically takes 10-14 working days to arrive.
For faster shipping, we also offer express DHL shipping, which usually takes 2-4 working days. The cost of express shipping is determined by the weight and volume of the shipment, as well as the delivery destination.
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All unframed art prints are delivered rolled up in secure postal tubes, ensuring their protection during transportation. Framed art prints, on the other hand, are shipped in cardboard packaging with additional corner protectors for added safety.
Painting Information
The color choices in this painting stand out for their sun-drenched clarity - a tapestry of radiant greens, warm earth tones, and brighter reds that enliven the jousting tents. By favoring a palette reminiscent of an idyllic summer day, the artist directs our gaze immediately toward the festivities. That luminous glow subtly hints at nature’s overarching presence, even when human spectacle dominates the frame.
As for composition, it is skillfully choreographed around the soaring castle tower, a commanding vertical that effortlessly anchors the entire scene. This central structure encourages the viewer’s eye to linger on the bustling joust, then wander toward the distant hills at the painting’s horizon. In doing so, the arrangement highlights not just the grandeur of the architecture, but also the lush surroundings that seem poised to outlast any ephemeral human display.
The technique, while precise, embraces a gentle Romanticism that allows the landscape to breathe with soft contours and airy brushstrokes. One notes the fine attention to architecture - every turret and crenellation of the fortress is detailed - yet the painting never feels stiff. Rather, it communicates an almost pastoral vision of medieval life. There’s something disarming about the way Thomas Cole fuses exacting detail with a more atmospheric approach, an aesthetic that would become a hallmark of the Hudson River School.
In terms of subject matter, the painting offers a flamboyant scene: a courtly jousting tournament unfolding at midday, throngs of spectators decked in vibrant finery, and a forested valley stretching off to the horizon. The castle itself rises above the green lawns and fluttering pennants, conveying both political power and romantic fantasy. The entire event, illuminated by a bright sky, suggests a civilization at its zenith.
Set against the backdrop of Cole’s fascination with history and the transient nature of civilizations, this work emerges from the same creative wellspring as his more renowned series on empires’ ascendance and ruin. Commissioned shortly after his success with "The Course of Empire," it is part of a pair that contrasts a flourishing moment in human affairs with its eventual decay. By presenting a vibrant spectacle here - and a desolate aftermath in its companion - the painting serves as both celebration and cautionary tale.
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