The Voyage of Life

<p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>In his famous series of four paintings the great American father of the Hudson River School of art Thomas Cole (1801-1848) depicted the life of a single representative human Soul as a voyage from birth to death-each painting illustrating a further bend in the river of life: Childhood Youth Manhood and finally Old Age. Cole supplemented his series with a long poem (reproduced at the end of this volume) along the lines of Dante's </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Divine Comedy </em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>or Newman's </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Dream of Gerontius</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> elucidating the meaning of his art. Drawing upon these resources together with the religious and philosophical influences of his time Addison Hodges Hart succeeds in making </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>The Voyage of Life </em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>poignantly applicable to us in the here and now. In Hart's masterful hands Cole's masterpiece comes alive as timeless wisdom insight even contemplative counsel. Like all genuine art Cole's series communicates one human soul's truth to another regardless of the distance in space time or worldview that may separate them. </span></p>