The Voyage of Life

ELITE ARTS

By Jeff Perkin Pictures courtesy of National Gallery of Art

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN AMERICAN ESSENCE MAGAZINE. The Voyage of Life: Childhood.

America’s first great landscape painter, Thomas Cole, was a pivotal figure in the development of a distinctly American artistic identity in the early 19th century. Cole’s masterful landscapes range from picturesque compositions of America’s pristine wilderness to imaginative historical and allegorical scenes. The revered artist’s devotion to seeking the presence of God in nature inspired him to create depictions of divinity within the world and the human experience.

A prime example of this undertaking, and one of Cole’s most renowned series, is The Voyage of Life, a group of four paintings that illustrate the major stages in a man’s life: Childhood, Youth, Manhood, and Old Age.

The series was commissioned by wealthy banker Samuel Ward for his private residence. Ward, a religious man, hired Cole to portray the faith-based view of a man’s allegorical path through life ending in salvation. Ward died shortly after the commission commenced, but Cole continued work on the series with the new intention of showing them to the public. In his later years, Cole was an increasingly religious man, to which this series is a testament. Regardless of your faith, The Voyage of Life captures a journey through different seasons, challenges, and the varying mental, emotional, and physical states we experience as we ride the river of life.

CHILDHOOD Cole originally worked on The Voyage of Life: Childhood when he was in his late 30s, in 1839–1840. This first landscape of the series symbolizes man’s birth into the world. A baby whom Cole called “the Voyager” is the passenger on a boat being guided down a river by an angelic figure. The front of the boat has an hourglass that is held by one of many angelic carvings whom Cole called “the Hours.” A shadowy cavern at the base of a massive rocky mountain, whose precipice is lost in clouds, gives the viewer the sense that the child has been delivered into this world of time from a mystery beyond it. The rosy light of sunrise casts an inviting glow on a vast and verdant landscape. Lush foliage and vibrant flowers greet the child on the banks of the calmly flowing river.

The child holds his arms outstretched joyously clenching flowers as he sits on a lush green bed of foliage that fills the boat. His guiding angel looks down

托馬斯 · 科爾（Thomas Cole）是美國首位偉大的風景 畫家，他的畫風別樹一幟，為 19 世紀初期美國畫壇的 哈德遜河派（Hudson River School）奠定了基礎。從 令人屏息凝神的曠野景色、蕩氣回腸的歷史時刻，到引 人入勝的寓言故事，科爾身體力行，用高超的技藝在大 自然中刻畫人性、追尋神蹟。 《生命之旅》系列畫作正是他道盡一生的信仰之作， 這組繪畫共有四幅，描繪了人生的四個階段：童年、青 年、成年、老年。 該組畫作是受大銀行家塞謬爾 · 沃德（Samuel Ward）委託、為其私人宅邸創作的。沃德是一位虔誠 的信徒，他請科爾由宗教的視角出發，以寓言的方式 描繪人漫步一生、終獲救贖的旅程。雖然沃德在畫作問 世前就去世了，但是科爾堅持完成了畫作，並打算將此 系列展示給世人。我們從這四幅畫中可以看出，科爾在 晚年對宗教的信仰愈發虔誠。無論您有無信仰，都能 對《生命之旅》中，人在不同階段面對的重重挑戰與心境 變化，產生共鳴。

童年 科爾最初開始創作《生命之旅：童年》是在1839年末， 當時他已近不惑之年。《童年》風景畫展示了人的降生： 一個名為「旅人」的嬰兒坐在一葉輕舟上，天使指引著 船在小溪上順流而下。船頭上雕刻著一位舉著沙漏、鍍 金的天使，科爾稱其為「時」。大山高聳入雲，山腳下 有一個陰暗的洞穴，這畫面告訴觀眾，有個小嬰兒正由 一個神祕的世界來到人間。日出時分，群山峻嶺沐浴在 玫瑰色的陽光下，溪水緩緩流淌，兩岸鬱鬱蔥蔥，迎接 著新生。 畫作中，嬰兒坐在綠草鋪成的船床上，他歡快地伸 出雙臂，緊握著鮮花。為孩子引路的天使正慈愛地俯視 著他，帶領他前往多彩而奇妙的人間。這幅畫展示了幼 年時期的樂觀，與對世間種種神祕的好奇。對「旅人」 而言，這春意盎然的景色象徵著人生的曙光。

青年 科爾曾說：「年輕時的想像力有種浪漫之美——在青年 從實踐中領悟何為真實之前，心靈就已將平凡瑣事提升 到了偉大的境界。」科爾於1840年完成了《生命之旅》系 列的餘下三幅畫作。《青年》風景畫中，小舟所及之處 視野開闊，樹木和遠山直插雲霄。這時，嬰兒已成長為 掌舵的青年，懷揣著自信與期望，憧憬著雲端的城堡。 科爾筆下那若隱若現的宮殿，象徵著年輕人「為白日夢 而追名逐利」。這位年輕人急切地駛向他高遠的目標， 卻彷彿沒有意識到，他已把護佑他的天使遺落在了岸邊。 《青年》畫中的風景生機盎然、令人流連忘返。「童 年」時期曾開滿稚嫩花朵的河岸，現已長出了雄心勃 勃的參天大樹，無不展示著對榮耀的渴望與冒險精神。

The Voyage of Life: Youth.

lovingly while navigating the child into this colorful and wondrous new world. The painting symbolizes the optimism and mystery of childhood. Everything is fresh and filled with amazement. It is the dawn of existence for Cole’s voyager that is symbolized by the glow of morning light and the abundant natural flourishing of spring.

YOUTH "The scenery of the picture—its clear stream, its lofty trees, its towering mountains, its unbounded distance, and transparent atmosphere—figure forth the romantic beauty of youthful imaginings, when the mind elevates the Mean and Common into the Magnificent, before experience teaches what is the Real,” Cole said of this piece.

男孩規劃著通往宮殿的航線，卻沒有留心不遠處的急 轉彎。水流向畫作的右側，前方有艱險的峭壁，預示著 《生命之旅》的第三個故事：年輕時的天真和樂觀，將 受到成年後現實的挑戰。科爾似乎在暗示：青年缺乏 經驗的美好願景，終將被磨礪成謙遜的智慧。

成年 《成年》在色調和主題上都與青年時期迥然不同：船身在 急湍中趨近懸崖，風暴和雲層籠罩著崎嶇而沉悶的大 地，突起的岩石距他只有幾步之遙。船舵已消失不見， 絕望之際，旅人雙手合十，祈求神明幫他脫離險境。船 頭的沙漏眼看就要見底，雕刻的天使看起來憂心忡忡。 科爾彷彿在坦率地向眾人分享，自己在人生起伏中學到 的深刻道理。他曾說：「困境是成年人的必經之路。」烏 雲中隱現的鬼魂在旅人頭頂盤旋，他正在承受年少無知 的惡果。

Cole completed The Voyage of Life: Youth along with the rest of the series in 1840. In this second painting, the landscape has opened up to reveal the course of the river through lofty trees and distant hills that elevate into soaring mountains. The voyager has now confidently taken the helm of the boat and looks longingly forward, pointing toward a glowing palace of clouds in the sky. For Cole, this symbolized “the daydreams of youth, its aspirations after glory and fame.” The young man seems to rush toward his lofty goals unconscious that he seems to have left his angelic guide behind him on the shore.

現在，觀眾或許對旅人的未來感到不確定。這位不 知所措的旅人看不到的是，金光灑在他身後的河面，守 護天使正平靜地坐在雲端，看護著他。這啟示我們，身 處困境時，艱難的時刻或許沒有看起來那麼嚴重、那麼 煎熬。在人生長河中，成年階段挑戰重重，需要旅人以 信念為船槳前進。當他以為自己即將失去一切時，正是 「柳暗花明又一村」之日，神明的力量仍在庇護他。花簇 般外在的誘惑已被他拋在腦後，等待他的是人生真諦。 科爾對第三幅畫作曾解釋道：「旅人哀求地望向上天， 象徵著他對神力的依賴，這種信念能讓他免於近在咫尺 的災難。」

The Voyage of Life: Manhood.

The landscape of Youth is enticingly gorgeous and teeming with life. The many flowers of childhood have been replaced with the ambition of mighty trees. A spirit of adventure and lust for the glories of life are pervasive in the painting. The boy charts a course for the palace in his mind without noticing that the river makes a sharp turn in the distance. It flows toward the right side of the painting where rocky cliffs await the voyager, foreshadowing the third painting in the series. The naiveté and optimism of youth are going to be challenged by the realities of manhood. Cole seems to imply that wisdom and humility are the result of tempering the beautiful, yet inexperienced, visions of youth.

MANHOOD The Voyage of Life: Manhood is a very dramatic shift in tone and content from Youth. The now middle-aged voyager finds himself in a dark and dreary landscape rushing down a treacherous part of the river. Rocks jut out of rapids that are mere seconds ahead of him. He looks forlorn. The helm of the boat is gone, and his hands are clasped together in desperate prayer. The angels on the boat look concerned as

老年 在《老年》中，河流已到達風平浪靜的入海口，旅人也 步入生命的終點。船頭的沙漏已經破碎，沉落水中，畫 裡的周遭也不再有綠意生機。天堂向他敞開大門，天 使再次現身在他的眼前，指引他前往美好的避風港。 科爾描述道：「肉體的枷鎖逐漸消失，心靈瞥見了不朽 的生命。」這一寓言最能體現基督教中的來世救贖的 教義。旅人經過了一生的浮沉，滿懷希望地期盼神蹟， 見證信仰。 《生命之旅》系列廣受公眾和評論家的好評。詩人 威廉 · 卡倫 · 布萊恩特（William Cullen Bryant）曾評 論：「這一系列畫作的構思如一首完美的詩篇，為我們 勾勒了人生不同階段的美麗與深刻意義。」這四幅畫作 道盡人生哲思，傳達了對救贖的期盼。科爾的傑作讓美 國藝術界聲名大噪，對後世影響深遠。他在風景畫中刻 畫神蹟，對美國畫界的美學與畫魂有重要貢獻。 1842 年，在《生命之旅》系列初獲成功後，科爾作 出了一個令人驚嘆且詫異的決定——重繪四幅畫作，以 便日後公開展覽。原作由沃德家族收藏，不受科爾調配。 因此，兩套幾乎一模一樣的畫作現在美國兩大畫廊展 覽：首套（1839 至 1840 年）珍藏在紐約州 MunsonWilliams-Proctor 藝術研究所，第二套（1842 年，本 文插圖）收在華盛頓特區的國家美術館。

The Voyage of Life: Old Age..

time in the hourglass seems to be running out. Cole, who himself had bouts of melancholy, seems to be outlining his sobering and blunt view of middle age. In his words, “Trouble is characteristic of the period of manhood.” Above the voyager in the clouds are ghostly apparitions. The man seems haunted by “demons’ and the place to which he has been delivered by the ignorance of his youth.

The viewer is left with a feeling of uncertainty as to what will happen to the voyager. Out of the bewildered man’s sight, behind him in the clouds, light shines down into the unpleasant scene from where the angel continues to watch over him. This offers the insight that life’s difficulties may not be as serious or lasting as they may seem during the experience. Adulthood is a challenging part of the voyager’s journey that he is navigating with his faith. Even when all seems lost, it is not, and a higher power is watching over him. The flowers and superficial beauty of youth are behind him but what lies ahead is a more meaningful truth.

“The upward and imploring look of the voyager shows his dependence on a Superior Power; and that faith saves him from the destruction that seems inevitable,” Cole said of the painting.

OLD AGE In The Voyage of Life: Old Age the river has reached the mouth of a calm ocean symbolizing the end of the voyager’s experience in this world. The boat’s hourglass has broken off, and there isn't much left in the landscape. The angel appears before him now, pointing his gaze toward the heavens, which appear to be opening up to him in a gesture of invitation beyond this world.

“The chains of corporeal existence are falling away; and already the mind has glimpses of Immortal Life,” Cole said of this piece. It is here that the Christian doctrine of salvation in the afterlife is most prominent allegorically. The voyager had his time on the wildly changing river of life and now looks in hopeful wonder toward the faith-based promise to which Cole and his patron subscribed.

The Voyage of Life was well-received by the public and critics alike. The poet William Cullen Bryant remarked: “The conception of the series is a perfect poem... Set before us are the different stages of human

America’s first great landscape painter, Thomas Cole (1801–1848). _PD-US

life under images [of] which every beholder admits the beauty and deep significance.” The paintings form a powerful allegory for human life and the hope of salvation in the mystery beyond it. Cole was hugely influential in establishing America’s artistic reputation, and his works went on to inspire many other American artists. His attempt to instill the divine into his landscapes played an important part in forming the beauty, soul, and allure of America.

In 1842, after the initial success of the series, Cole made the impressive and somewhat shocking decision to laboriously paint all four paintings a second time in order to be able to further display them publicly. The first series was privately owned by Ward’s family and thus no longer under his control. For this reason, two slightly different yet essentially similar sets of The Voyage of Life exist at two different American galleries. The first set (1839–40) is at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica, New York, and the second set (1842 and pictured in this article) is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.