Painting:Albert Bierstadt (American,b.in Germany) 1830-1902,A Storm in the Rocky Mountains.Mt Rosalie,1866,oil on canvas,measures 98⅝x158⅛x7¼ (250.5x401.6x18.4 cm),286lbs
Albert Bierstadt was a skilled showman.Here,he reorganized Rocky Mountain landmarks,exaggerated their scale,and introduced dramatic weather to thrill audiences at a moment when the North American continent was under rapid development.Bierstadt's display for profit of theatrically large canvases like this one was a forerunner of movies.
In 1863 Bierstadt made an on-site study for the work,which he completed in his New York studio.The painting had a personal significance for "Mt. Rosalie" (now Mount Evans) was named by the artist in honor of his traveling companion's wife,Rosalie Osborne Ludlow whom Bierstadt would marry in 1866 following his divorce.
www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/1558
About the artist-Bierstadt was born in Prussia in 1830,and was brought to live in the United States in New Bedford, Massachusetts at just a year old.He had a flare for art from an early age,and spent his youth sketching with crayons,before switching to oils at the age of 21.It was when he traveled back to Dusseldorf in 1853 that he officially studied painting and perfected his technique.Back in New Bedford a few years later with his newly acquired training,he dabbled in teaching art before dedicating himself to full-time painting.
The artist's subject of choice was landscapes.Spending time in alpine scenery while he studied made portraying nature his forte,and he received a lot of praise when he exhibited one of his paintings of Swiss mountains,Lake Lucerne and the National Academy if Design.This helped put his mastery of capturing stunning wilderness panoramas in the map.He was hailed as a bright new star on the American art stage and was elected an honorary member of the
Academy.
In 1859,Bierstadt joined a land surveyor for the US government called Frederick W. Lander on a trip west.He documented the trip with photographs and sketches,and inspired by the scenery he witnessed,he began reproducing what he saw on large canvasses in his studio back in New York.Four years later he returned west this time with author Fitz Hugh Ludlow.This trip provided more material for his paintings,as well as furnishing himself with a wife:Rosalie Ludlow divorced Fitz Hugh on their return and married Bierstadt instead.
Bierstadt's paintings were popular.Not only were they technically proficient but allowed their viewers to to marvel at serene unpopulated vistas that they would never get to witness in real life.Many would have heard of places like Rocky Mountains or Yosemite,but few would ever see them.Viewers lapped his work up.His presence was requested by every explorer venturing out west,including the Atchison,Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad who asked him to visit and paint the Grand Canyon.
When Bierstadt finished one of his gigantic paintings it would be quite an event.Audiences would flock to see a new thrilling vision of nature being unveiled,often bringing opera glasses to study the minute details of the canvas.He was known as his skills as a showman,as he often exaggerated scale,introduced dramatic weather patterns and reorganized landmarks,such as in A Storm in the Rocky Mountains,Mt Rosalie (shown)
Not everyone was a fan however.Some of Bierstadt's contemporaries criticized his overly romanticized depictions,stating that his use of light was excessive and unrealistic.This didn't impact the artist's commercial success:his paintings sold at record prices and he exhibited frequently.His artwork The Rocky Mountains,Landers Peak was purchased for $25,000 in 1865 (appx $480,558 today).
Bierstadt's fame did not last.As fashions changed the art world shifted their interests towards more impressionists styles,and his landscapes and theatrical lighting feel out of favor.In 1876 Bierstadt and his wife moved to Nassau inn the Bahamas to be in warmer climes,as Rosalie was suffering from consumption.
Although his work was largely forgotten after his death in 1902,he was a prolific artist completing over 500 paintings in his lifetime.By drawing people's attention to the majesty of the natural world his work also played a role in renewing people's interests in preserving these areas and establishing National Parks.
Painting:Albert Bierstadt (American,b.in Germany) 1830-1902,A Storm in the Rocky Mountains.Mt Rosalie,1866,oil on canvas,measures 98⅝x158⅛x7¼ (250.5x401.6x18.4 cm),286lbs
Albert Bierstadt was a skilled showman.Here,he reorganized Rocky Mountain landmarks,exaggerated their scale,and introduced dramatic weather to thrill audiences at a moment when the North American continent was under rapid development.Bierstadt's display for profit of theatrically large canvases like this one was a forerunner of movies.
In 1863 Bierstadt made an on-site study for the work,which he completed in his New York studio.The painting had a personal significance for "Mt. Rosalie" (now Mount Evans) was named by the artist in honor of his traveling companion's wife,Rosalie Osborne Ludlow whom Bierstadt would marry in 1866 following his divorce.
www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/1558
About the artist-Bierstadt was born in Prussia in 1830,and was brought to live in the United States in New Bedford, Massachusetts at just a year old.He had a flare for art from an early age,and spent his youth sketching with crayons,before switching to oils at the age of 21.It was when he traveled back to Dusseldorf in 1853 that he officially studied painting and perfected his technique.Back in New Bedford a few years later with his newly acquired training,he dabbled in teaching art before dedicating himself to full-time painting.
The artist's subject of choice was landscapes.Spending time in alpine scenery while he studied made portraying nature his forte,and he received a lot of praise when he exhibited one of his paintings of Swiss mountains,Lake Lucerne and the National Academy if Design.This helped put his mastery of capturing stunning wilderness panoramas in the map.He was hailed as a bright new star on the American art stage and was elected an honorary member of the
Academy.
In 1859,Bierstadt joined a land surveyor for the US government called Frederick W. Lander on a trip west.He documented the trip with photographs and sketches,and inspired by the scenery he witnessed,he began reproducing what he saw on large canvasses in his studio back in New York.Four years later he returned west this time with author Fitz Hugh Ludlow.This trip provided more material for his paintings,as well as furnishing himself with a wife:Rosalie Ludlow divorced Fitz Hugh on their return and married Bierstadt instead.
Bierstadt's paintings were popular.Not only were they technically proficient but allowed their viewers to to marvel at serene unpopulated vistas that they would never get to witness in real life.Many would have heard of places like Rocky Mountains or Yosemite,but few would ever see them.Viewers lapped his work up.His presence was requested by every explorer venturing out west,including the Atchison,Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad who asked him to visit and paint the Grand Canyon.
When Bierstadt finished one of his gigantic paintings it would be quite an event.Audiences would flock to see a new thrilling vision of nature being unveiled,often bringing opera glasses to study the minute details of the canvas.He was known as his skills as a showman,as he often exaggerated scale,introduced dramatic weather patterns and reorganized landmarks,such as in A Storm in the Rocky Mountains,Mt Rosalie (shown)
Not everyone was a fan however.Some of Bierstadt's contemporaries criticized his overly romanticized depictions,stating that his use of light was excessive and unrealistic.This didn't impact the artist's commercial success:his paintings sold at record prices and he exhibited frequently.His artwork The Rocky Mountains,Landers Peak was purchased for $25,000 in 1865 (appx $480,558 today).
Bierstadt's fame did not last.As fashions changed the art world shifted their interests towards more impressionists styles,and his landscapes and theatrical lighting feel out of favor.In 1876 Bierstadt and his wife moved to Nassau inn the Bahamas to be in warmer climes,as Rosalie was suffering from consumption.
Although his work was largely forgotten after his death in 1902,he was a prolific artist completing over 500 paintings in his lifetime.By drawing people's attention to the majesty of the natural world his work also played a role in renewing people's interests in preserving these areas and establishing National Parks.