Thomas Cole painted a pair of pictures in 1837 showing a morning scene and an evening scene. Medieval Crusaders leave with high hopes and shiny, beautiful armor in the morning scene (“The Departure”) and a few stragglers return weary and wounded in the evening scene (“The Return”). In the first one, there is a statue of Mary and an old friar blessing them, and the architectural emphasis is the castle. In the evening scene, the same old friar is blessing them, and the dominant architecture is now the lit and warm Cathedral.

Isn’t that how it often goes? We’re young and strong and perhaps mindful of our faith, and we head out to our ambitions. And then, achieving them or not, we are sundered by the world and struggle home and find ourselves in the bosom of the Church. There is a shepherd and a maid in both of these pictures, which is kind of showing that there is a gentler life and that life goes on, whether we went off to war or not.

Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was an American painter of 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 I made a special trip to the National Gallery about 35 years ago to see it in person. It’s in four paintings, and it’s a similar story. Head off with high worldly hopes and ambitions and, achieving them or not, get sundered and come to old age and the angels. Transcending this beautiful, passing world.

Our file copy of this is much bigger and sharper than the one in the listing. It looks great in the large format sizes.

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", 1.6" for 11x14" pictures, or 1.75" for 13x17" , 16x20", 18x24" and 24x36". Inquire about special printing needs. Not much needs to be trimmed of the art to go to the edge on this print.

Border sizes are Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

– Acid-free paper
– Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
– Cardboard backer
– Above story of the art
– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!
Sue & John

You might also enjoy original Catholic Art and Jewerly by me, Sue Kouma Johnson, here on Etsy at www.Etsy.com/shop/TreeOfHeaven

Also, check out our Catholic Quote shop, where we are pairing authentic quotes from Saints with Art: www.Etsy.com/shop/CatholicQuote

“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 image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson – Classic Catholic.