The Voyage of Life: Youth
1842 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
About this artwork
This work is the second in a four-part allegorical series representing the stages of human life, commissioned by Samuel Ward. It depicts a young man steering his boat toward a shimmering, ethereal castle in the sky.
Did you know?
Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School, intended this series as a moral allegory of the stages of human life. In this particular panel, the 'Youth' figure steers his boat away from the safe, sheltered riverbank of childhood, ignoring the warnings of his guardian angel as he reaches for the alluring, ghostly castle representing his lofty ambitions.
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The Voyage of Life: Youth
Thomas Cole, 1842
