James Fenimore Cooper e Thomas Cole : The Last of the Mohicans : a relação dialéctica entre a natureza, a literatura e a pintura, no espaço formativo ecológico
Dissertação de Mestrado em Estudos Americanos apresentada à Universidade AbertaResumo - Nesta dissertação tem-se como objectivo fazer a relação entre pintura (Thomas Cole) e literatura (James Fenimore Cooper) americanas, mostrando que a arte nos EUA adquiriu um estatuto próprio que a diferenciou da europeia durante o século XIX, defendendo uma identidade cultural que se fundia com a Natureza selvagem. As obras destes autores, durante a era do presidente Jackson, manifestaram uma grande apreensão devido à destruição da Natureza pela Civilização e pelo Progresso avassalador, que pode ser encarada como uma das origens dos movimentos ecologistas na América do Norte. Por isso, pode falar-se da ligação entre Literatura, Pintura e Ecologia, já nesse século. O corpus desta dissertação é constituido pela obra de James Fenimore Cooper The Last of the Mohicans e pelos quatro quadros que Thomas Cole pintou baseados nesta obra: Scene from the Last of the Mohicans: Cora Kneeling at the Feet of Tamenund (1827), Landscape, Scene from the Last of the Mohicans (1827), Landscape, Scene from “The Last of the Mohicans" (Death of Cora), (1827) Landscape with figures: A Scene from the Last of the Mohicans, (The Death of Magua), (1826). Estudaram-se especificamente estes dois artistas, porque além de serem representativos do movimento americano romântico, foram pioneiros da literatura e da pintura americanas, uma vez que as suas temáticas focavam e realçavam a identidade americana vísivel em de The Last of the Mohicans. A influência de Cooper e de Cole sobre a Literatura e a Pintura americanas fez-se sempre sentir até ao presente, e daí eles serem considerados marcos na cultura americanaRésumé - Cette thèse a pour objectif de réaliser des relations réciproques entre la Peinture (Thomas Cole) et la Littérature Américaines (James Fenimore Cooper), montrant que l’árt aux États-Unis a acquis un statut propre qui l’a différencié de l’Europe durant le XIXème siècle, défendant une identité culturelle qui se fond avec la nature sauvage. Les oeuvres de ces auteurs, durant l’époque du président Jackson, ont manifesté une grande appréhension face à la destruction de la Nature par la civilisation et par le progrès niveleur qui peut être envisagé comme une des origines des mouvements écologistes de l’Amérique du Nord. Pour cela, nous pouvons parler de liaison entre la Littérature, la Peinture et l’Écologie, déjà à cette époque. Le corpus de cette thèse et constitué par l’oeuvre de James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans, ainsi que les quatre tableaux inspirés de cette oeuvre et peints par Thomas Cole : Scene from the Last of the Mohicans: Cora Kneeling at the Feet of Tamenund (1827), Landscape, Scene from the Last of the Mohicans (1827), Landscape, Scene from “The Last of the Mohicans" (Death of Cora), (1827) Landscape with figures: A Scene from the Last of the Mohicans, (The Death of Magua), (1826). Nous avons étudié spécifiquement les deux artistes parce que outre le fait qu’ils soient représentatifs du Mouvement Romantique Américain ; ils ont aussi été les pionniers de la Littérature et de la Peinture Américaines, étant donné que leurs thématiques se concentrent et mettent en valeur l’Identité Américaine visible dans le The Last of the Mohicans. L’influence de James Fenimore Cooper et de Thomas Cole sur la Littérature et la Peinture Américaines s’est toujours faite sentir jusqu’à nos jours, ceux-ci étant considérés des références premières de la culture AméricaineAbstract - The author’s objective in this dissertation is to establish the link between American painting (Thomas Cole) and literature (James Fenimore Cooper), by showing that in the 19th century, in the USA, art took on a status of its own that differentiated it from European art, in which it defended a cultural identity that merged with nature in the wild. During the time of President Jackson these artists’ works displayed a great deal of concern or even fear at the destruction of nature by civilisation and the shackles of progress, which can be seen as one of the origins of the ecological movements in North America. This is why it is already possible to speak about a link between Literature, Painting and the Ecology in that century. The corpus of this dissertation is composed of James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans and the four paintings which Thomas Cole based on the book: Scene from the Last of the Mohicans: Cora Kneeling at the Feet of Tamenund (1827), Landscape, Scene from the Last of the Mohicans (1827), Landscape, Scene from “The Last of the Mohicans" (Death of Cora), (1827) Landscape with figures: A Scene from the Last of the Mohicans, (The Death of Magua), (1826).This study was focused on these two artists, specifically, because in addition to being representative of the American Romantic Movement, they were pioneers of American literature and painting, in that their subject matters highlighted the American identity that is to be seen in The Last of the Mohicans. The influence that Cooper and Cole have always had on American Literature and Painting can be felt until the present day, and they can therefore be considered milestones in American cultur
