Smillie, James, and Thomas Cole. The Voyage of Life—Youth. Painted by Thomas Cole, engraved by James Smillie, ca. January 9, 1850. Photograph of print by J. Dalton. Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2006677482/.
As a parallel to literature, this artwork can be used with various seminal works by authors from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries. It represents a thematic, enduring understanding in literature: the unending life cycle. It also contains the four literary universals and is an outstanding visual representation of all four of them: life, death, beauty, and uncertainty. It is fairly accessible to both teachers and students, particularly those in middle school, where students may be introduced to literary analysis for the first time. It is also a strong introduction to the inextricable connection that humans have with nature: nature can exist without humans, but humans cannot exist without nature.
This painting can be introduced to young readers and viewers of fine art as a vehicle for social justice and positive social change. It also can be used as an interdisciplinary text to visualize the cycle of nature’s continuity with humanity’s continuous changing over time. The painting conveys the historical period of the nation as it embarks on westward expansion, enters the Industrial Revolution, continues to practice slavery, and encroaches on Native American lands.
The painting depicts part of the life cycle from youth to adulthood, allegorically or metaphorically using nature and the youth as icons for westward expansion. Strikingly, Cole is an early activist against environmental injustice. The painting is an accessible introduction to one of the Hudson River School painters through one of his works.
The painting is the second part of a four-painting series on the life cycle. Specifically, The Voyage of Life—Youth depicts a youth or young adult floating downstream on a boat, charting the energy, ambition, and lack of fear that often defines youth or young adulthood. The voyager apparently has set no boundaries on the course of his journey and is ready for any and all eventualities.
Thomas Cole was a painter who used his art to discuss social issues of his day, particularly human encroachment upon nature, as well as abolition and the rights of women. As westward expansion continued in the nineteenth century, nature became a political pawn on multiple levels, including encroachment on the natural environment, Native American removal, and the unchecked industrialization of natural resources for material gain. Thomas Cole used his landscapes as thematic social commentary to speak out against governmental policies promulgating this human exploitation of the land. His work created the early movement against environmental injustice.
- Discuss the artist’s role in contemporary society. How can and does this role change over time?
- Why is art a powerful rhetorical tool, and how does it convey meaningful thought to viewers in a way that written language is unable to do?
- If humanity’s existence represents “change over time,” what can or does the depiction of nature represent?
- Why do you think Thomas Cole focused much of his art on environmental injustice?
- How can we use Thomas Cole’s work to address contemporary global issues? How is his work still relevant today?
Common Core State Standards
Reading Anchor Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
- Teachers can accomplish this standard by explaining to students that interpreting works of art involves the same processes as reading a written text. When viewing a work of art, students can “read” it carefully to determine what the artist has presented and what inferences can logically be made, both from what they see and from what is implied (what they don’t see). They should identify specific aspects and elements of the piece, including technique and structure, to support their conclusions.
Reading Anchor Standard 3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
- Teachers should use this standard to discuss an individual piece that is part of a series. How does the work develop or continue a theme or idea that is stated or implied throughout the collection?
- This painting can be viewed alone or as part of the four-part series when teaching the human life cycle. It pairs with some Advanced Placement English Language and Composition nonfiction and fiction works, as well as with Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition readings, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, and James by Percival Everett.
- Cole’s painting The Voyage of Life—Youth relates to embarking on a young person’s initial journey of exploration and independence. Have students discuss Cole’s work in relation to Homer's Odyssey. What obstacles could this young voyager encounter on his journey as depicted in the painting?
- The texts mentioned in the first item in this list address slavery and freedom, and Cole’s painting can be used to explore how nature can represent the practice of freedom. Use either a journal entry or a class discussion to teach this concept.
- Having students parallel the icons in this work with those present in any of the literary texts mentioned earlier can crystallize their understanding of both the painting and the text.
- Cole’s art can also be considered in relation to Huck and Jim’s relationship in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which attaches to broader themes of civilization, social responsibility, conformity, and freedom/enslavement. The same could be said for the triangular relationships Morrison creates in Song of Solomon.
- When teaching the concept of manifest destiny, Thomas Cole’s works can be used to introduce students to the Hudson River School of painting, which is an essential part of understanding the role of art in American protest literature, history and social commentary, and early environmentalism. This painting is an outstanding introduction to the use of art as political activism and as a precursor to the modern-day use of multimedia as a form of communication.
- A challenge may refer to Cole’s paintings as having religious themes that may disturb some communities, as might his political views on conservation and the environment. But considering the universal view of the mastery of his craft as an artist, these challenges can be overcome through critical analysis of his works. Cole’s views on nature and religion were well-known, and he incorporated religious overtones in all of his works, with nature serving as an allegory for God.
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- Educators can use this link to focus on this aspect of his works and other themes, such as conservation, sustainability, and decolonization of nature.
- Educators can teach about the artistic relevance of Cole’s works by exploring the insight they afford into how contemporary artists of various mediums use his works as thematically foundational in theirs.
- This article demonstrates how Cole’s works can be used to illustrate historical continuity and change over time, as well as environmentalism and decolonization of nature.
- This source provides historical context for the Hudson River School’s philosophy on environmentalism.
- The Hudson River School resources are part of the Library of Congress’s holdings housed in the Digital Public Library of America for greater accessibility to students, teachers, and families. This teaching guide is educator and student accessible for grades K–12. It provides lesson plans, paintings, and teaching strategies on Thomas Cole and other Hudson River painters.
- This resource provides more information on Thomas Cole.
- This resource provides more information on the Hudson River School artists.