All About The Consummation of Empire by Thomas Cole

Title of Artwork: “The Consummation of Empire”

Artwork by Thomas Cole

Year Created 1836

Summary of The Consummation of Empire

Cole’s patron, Luman Reed, commissioned a series of five paintings, The Course of Empire, from 1833 to 1836, including The Consummation of Empire. A separate stage in the emergence and collapse of a fictional civilisation is shown in each painting in the series. There is a joyous, colourful parade of residents going over the central bridge in this picture, which is the middle one in the series and shows the seeming victory of that civilisation. The landscape is jam-packed with classical porticos, rotundas, and sculptures. To the right, a statue of Minerva, the goddess of knowledge, stands alone, seemingly unnoticed by the crowds below.

All About The Consummation of Empire

It’s safe to say that the whole series was created to serve as a warning about Empire’s overzealous aspirations. Despite depicting the empire at its height, this artwork foreshadows its collapse by depicting a military monarch being lifted high over the heads of the people. Paintings farther along in the series depict the city in ruins, with nature eventually reclaiming it (as represented by the potted plant in the foreground). Cole was inspired by the Neoclassical works he saw on his European travels in 1829-32 when he painted The Course of Empire, but he exhibited his unique ability to capture the spirit of the United States in his work despite his desire to produce an epic sequence of paintings. America had just declared independence from the British Empire, and these paintings convey a sense of elation as well as caution to the fledgling state. However, the series also conveys Cole’s fear of industry’s impact on the American environment, as well as the growth of the metropolitan population.

Cole’s series has cultural importance, says art historian Earl A. Powell “Cole’s career and American art history are better by having seen The Course of Empire as a whole work. Melancholy, conceptually expansive, pedagogical, and moralising, it was a paragon of the Romantic spirit that succeeded in entertaining its audience.” The Rise and Fall of an Empire depicts a master artist at the height of his abilities, whose expansive vision encapsulated the spirit of a country.