In a cycle of five paintings titled The Course of Empire, Cole showed the rise and fall of a great nation. The final canvas is a scene of violent destruction unsurpassed even by Game of Thrones.

When one first encounters “The Course of Empire,” the Consummation seems to loom over the rest of the paintings. It is the largest (130 cm x 196 cm, to the others’ 100 cm x 161 cm), and in Thomas Cole ...

While searching for an image to accompany Andrew Shearer\'s post on American decline, I was sent on a serendipitous detour into Robert Hughes\' American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America ...

Five big black and white canvases hang high up on a wall in the National Gallery. They show a tire shop, a tool shop, a trade school, a chemical plant and a t ...