Olana, Kaaterskill Falls and Thomas Cole's House

Kaaterskill Falls

Hiking in the Kaaterskill Falls was an amazing experience that I would never trade for anything in the world. The girls and I were amused by the beauty of the waterfalls. In addition, I felt very privileged to be around the place where Frederic Church made the kindred spirits’ Painting which honored Thomas Cole.

Thomas Cole's House

Being at the place that inspired the artists Frederic Church and Thomas Cole was a privilege, but being at the homes where they lived before they died was a blessing.  Thomas Cole’s house was a very small house compared to that of Frederic. However, his house still felt very homey and inspiring. From the front balcony, one has an amazing view of the Catskills Mountains. As I went around the house and saw almost all the objects with which Cole worked made me feel very glad of being part of the Discovery program of Russell Sage College.

Inside of Cole's House

Inside Thomas cole’s house, we also saw some of his paintings that were not as famous as the other ones. In addition, I also was informed of some events that happened in Cole’s life that I was not aware of. For instance, besides his house which was given by his uncle, he also owned a farm which was located near one of the local lakes. From that, I understood that Cole did not just based his economy on his paintings but he also made profit through farming even if the products were only  for family use. Additionally, Cole also taught Frederic Church, with whom he became very close. After Thomas Cole died, Frederic church guided Cole’s son which was then eight years old.

Church's House

Personally, Frederic Church’s house has been the most beautiful and unique architecture that I ever seen. The vivid colors that the house has in the outside foreshadows the beautifulness of the inside. Once I was inside the house, I could not stop looking at every single detail of the house. Everything, the structure and design of the rooms, the design of the windows, the decorations, the painting hanging against the wall and the story that every object in the room seems to have, was fascinating. In his studio, he had a rock from the Parthenon as well as a painting from Ireland as well as hats from Mexico as well as many other objects that give his studio a multicultural look. Frederic Church was definitely a person that I would want to know since I see myself as a very multicultural person.

After contemplating the beauty of the Catskill Mountains, Kaaterskill Falls and the Hudson River, now I perfectly understand why the artists Thomas Cole and Frederic Church felt so inspiring in that region. Both of their houses have an amazing view to the Catskill maintains which kept them inspired to paint. While the Europeans kept conquering more territory, both artists seemed to worry about the future of their surroundings. They saw that North America was becoming more and more industrialized which bothered them. After have seen the beauty of these regions, I realized that Thomas Cole and Frederic Church were right at being annoyed by the fast industrialization.