The BBC's Diane Cole reports on an exhibition of 19th-century paintings believed to depict the early signs of climate change introduced by the era's rapid industrialization.
One early witness to the changing hues of the countryside's once clear skies and untouched landscape was the British-American painter Thomas Cole (1801-1848). In 1839, he travelled to Portage Falls on the Genesee river in upstate New York to document the sublime vistas, rocky cliffs and abundant foliage surrounding the deep gorge through which the river flowed. Cole's task, commissioned by the New York State Canal Commissioner, was to preserve in oil paint the view about to be destroyed by the forthcoming construction of a new canal that would build on the success of the Erie Canal, which had opened in 1825.
Cole, who was known for his monumental landscapes, produced a giant-sized vision of nature's splendour in a canvas that stands 7ft (2.1m) tall and 5ft (1.5m) wide. Vibrant autumnal foliage frames the dramatic vertical view of the gorge and the waterfalls flowing beyond. But this Eden was not pristine. Atop the cliff on one side of the gorge sits a picturesque lodge; just across, on the opposite cliff, on level ground apparently carved out from the wild growth dominating most of the site, lies a housing camp for the canal workers.
Hey that's a weird cloud! I'm going to paint it. And how about that factory burning down! What pretty colors the flames are! And all the cows downwind are dead! He's not mentioned in this article, but JMW Turner's paintings are sometimes held to be inspired by the peculiar new lights and hazes of the age.
