The Oxbow
Thomas Cole · 1836
Why it's great
A curving river winds through a green valley as a storm clears. A tiny painter at an easel stands on the hillside in the corner. Thomas Cole showed that nature was big and beautiful, and humans were small. It's one of the most famous American landscape paintings.
Where to see it
📍 Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York City, United States
Open in Maps ↗ About this museum →Hang it on your wall
Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.
Thomas Cole was born in England and moved to the United States as a teenager, settling near the Hudson River in New York. He founded the Hudson River School, a group of artists who painted America's wild landscapes. His paintings often carried messages about nature and civilization. He died in Catskill, New York, in 1848.
