Who painted Shipwreck?

Shipwreck was painted by Thomas Cole in 1824.

Where can I see Shipwreck?

Shipwreck is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Shipwreck?

Shipwreck is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Shipwreck

Thomas Cole , 1824

Shipwreck is a graphite drawing by the Romanticist artist Thomas Cole. It dates from 1824 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

The composition is classified as a landscape, depicting a landscape scene with a tree, consistent with Cole's drawn studies of the natural environment.

Shipwreck is a preparatory drawing executed in graphite on off-white wove paper. As a work on paper rather than a finished painting, it relies on the tonal range and mark-making of a single drawing medium, with the wove paper providing a smooth, even support suited to graphite handling. The composition is classified as a landscape, depicting a landscape scene with a tree, consistent with Cole's drawn studies of the natural environment.

The work is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, where it is catalogued as a drawing (accession 1977.182.2). No further information on condition, specific technique, or stylistic handling is documented in the available sources.

History & Provenance

Thomas Cole's drawing Shipwreck is part of The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is cataloged under the accession number 1977.182.2. The work has been exhibited in exhibitions focused on landscape paintings and drawings at the museum. Its genre is recorded as landscape painting, and it depicts a tree within a landscape composition.

Overview

Shipwreck is a graphite drawing on off-white wove paper created by Thomas Cole in 1824.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing depicts a dramatic shipwreck scene, with a broken ship and scattered debris set amidst a detailed landscape. The composition contrasts human fragility with the power of nature, evoking themes of transience and the forces of the natural world.

Context

As a founder of the Hudson River School, Cole's work often explored the relationship between the American wilderness and the impact of industrialization, frequently infusing natural scenes with allegorical meaning.