New! Angel Appearing to the Shepherds – Thomas Cole – Beautiful Christmas Art – Archival Quality

The great American landscape painter, Thomas Cole, elevated landscape painting into meaningful vistas, whereas before they were often just big pretty scenery. In this one, he captures the majestic sweep of the scene, of shepherds scattered across the plain with their sheep, and there above them in glory is the angel speaking, Behold, I bring you good tidings. Behind them the star of Bethlehem shines on the manger where the shepherds will soon worship. The people in darkness have seen a great light. It is the dawn of salvation.

Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was an English-born, American painter who started the Hudson Valley School, doing beautiful landscapes in which he attempted to elevate them with some significance. He was my favorite painter in college. I had a poster of his Ages of Man (Youth) taped to my wall, and my artist wife, Sue, and I made a special trip to the National Gallery about 35 years ago to see it in person. It still does my heart good to look at his paintings.

The painting is huge, about 8 x 15 feet (101 1/2 x 185 1/2 in.) Oil on canvas. Painted between 1833 and 1834. Cole held the painting until 1837, when it went to the Boston Atheneum until 1977, when Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., bought it. It is on view at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, if you’re in the neighborhood. (source: chrysler.emuseum.com)

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank border around the image. Approximately 0.5" wide for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11, 1.6" for 11x14, and 1.75" for 13x17 and 16x20. For the two poster sizes, 18x24 and 24x36, we use 0.5" borders. We do this because the ratio of the rectangle of the art almost never matches the rectangle of the paper, and if it did happen to match one size, it would not match the others. Most fine art printers do this because otherwise they’d have to crop the art or warp it to make it fit the paper. The border looks good. It gives the picture a faux matted appearance.

There is almost always a little more border either on the left-right sides, or the top-bottom, depending on whether the ratio of the art is wider or taller than the paper.

We make Archival Quality fine art prints:

– Acid-free paper

– Archival pigments

– Cardboard backer for sizes 11x14 and less.

– Above story of the art

– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal-clear bag.

– Rated to last 200+ years without fading if kept dry and out of the direct sun.

Thanks for your interest!

+JMJ+

Sue & John

Lincoln, Nebraska

“In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art.”

~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and any image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson – Classic Catholic Art.