A number of the artists featured in the special exhibition Nature and the American Vision: The Hudson River School can also be found in the galleries of the Milwaukee Art Museum. This is the first a series of blog posts that will highlight Milwaukee’s artworks during the run of the exhibition.

Thomas Cole (American, b. England, 1801–1848), Storm in the Wilderness, 1826–28. Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, Layton Art Collection, Inc., Purchase L1968.25. Photo credit: Larry Sanders.

Often called the Founder of the Hudson River School, Thomas Cole (1801–1848) holds an important place in the development of American landscape painting. Cole’s Storm in the Wilderness, from the Layton Art Collection and on view in the exhibition, is a good example of the power of his work.