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Lot Essay
In 1873, Albert Bierstadt made his final trip to Yosemite after completing a two year stay in California with his wife Rosalie. During this expedition, Bierstadt spent his time sketching in and around Hetch Hetchy Canyon and Yosemite Valley. Liberty Cap, Yosemite executed in the wilds of Yosemite in 1873 was part of this campaign.
Aboard the recently completed transcontinental railroad Bierstadt and his wife embarked on the artist's second trip to the West in 1871. Immediately upon arrival in California, Bierstadt set out with Collin P. Huntington, the renowned railroad magnate, to the High Sierras to execute an additional series of sketches for his masterwork Donner Lake from the Summit. After a brief trip back to New York, Bierstadt, throughout the winter, spring and summer of 1872, traveled to Yosemite and the High Sierra exploring the pristine valleys and canyons of the region. In the fall of 1872, the artist had the opportunity to travel with Clarence King, the leader of the United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, into the very remote terrain of Kings River Canyon in the South Sierra. Previously unchartered by government geologists, this area contained magnificent mountaintops and valleys that suited Bierstadt's vision of unspoiled terrain.
Bierstadt in June 1873 returned to Yosemite and checked into the Nevada Hotel. He set off to explore the Hetch Hetchy Canyon, a remote part of Yosemite that was still undiscovered by tourists for new places to sketch. The artist also returned to the various well-known places in the Yosemite Valley. The location of the Nevada Hotel, a small establishment built on a ledge between Nevada and Vernal Falls, afforded Bierstadt with many spectacular views, including that of Liberty Cap. In the present work, Bierstadt depicts the soaring rock formation, Liberty Cap and the powerful Nevada Falls located towards the western end of Yosemite Valley across from the renowned Half Dome.
Bierstadt executed numerous sketches that he later used to compose studio paintings. Of these many preliminary works, there are a group that remain powerful images in their own right. Liberty Cap, Yosemite is one such example. The art historian Edgar P. Richardson wrote: "I would concentrate on the marvelous freshness of eye shown in Bierstadt's sketches from nature. He was a remarkable observer of air, light and the feeling of place-all set down with superb sketches" (as quoted in G. Hendricks, Albert Bierstadt, New York, 1974, p.10) Bierstadt, in Liberty Cap, Yosemite celebrates the dramatic beauty of Yosemite's geological wonders through his keen sense of color, light and dramatic composition. Images such as Liberty Cap, Yosemite transcended formal artistic expressions and became mythic beacons of the West for which Bierstadt is most famous.
Aboard the recently completed transcontinental railroad Bierstadt and his wife embarked on the artist's second trip to the West in 1871. Immediately upon arrival in California, Bierstadt set out with Collin P. Huntington, the renowned railroad magnate, to the High Sierras to execute an additional series of sketches for his masterwork Donner Lake from the Summit. After a brief trip back to New York, Bierstadt, throughout the winter, spring and summer of 1872, traveled to Yosemite and the High Sierra exploring the pristine valleys and canyons of the region. In the fall of 1872, the artist had the opportunity to travel with Clarence King, the leader of the United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, into the very remote terrain of Kings River Canyon in the South Sierra. Previously unchartered by government geologists, this area contained magnificent mountaintops and valleys that suited Bierstadt's vision of unspoiled terrain.
Bierstadt in June 1873 returned to Yosemite and checked into the Nevada Hotel. He set off to explore the Hetch Hetchy Canyon, a remote part of Yosemite that was still undiscovered by tourists for new places to sketch. The artist also returned to the various well-known places in the Yosemite Valley. The location of the Nevada Hotel, a small establishment built on a ledge between Nevada and Vernal Falls, afforded Bierstadt with many spectacular views, including that of Liberty Cap. In the present work, Bierstadt depicts the soaring rock formation, Liberty Cap and the powerful Nevada Falls located towards the western end of Yosemite Valley across from the renowned Half Dome.
Bierstadt executed numerous sketches that he later used to compose studio paintings. Of these many preliminary works, there are a group that remain powerful images in their own right. Liberty Cap, Yosemite is one such example. The art historian Edgar P. Richardson wrote: "I would concentrate on the marvelous freshness of eye shown in Bierstadt's sketches from nature. He was a remarkable observer of air, light and the feeling of place-all set down with superb sketches" (as quoted in G. Hendricks, Albert Bierstadt, New York, 1974, p.10) Bierstadt, in Liberty Cap, Yosemite celebrates the dramatic beauty of Yosemite's geological wonders through his keen sense of color, light and dramatic composition. Images such as Liberty Cap, Yosemite transcended formal artistic expressions and became mythic beacons of the West for which Bierstadt is most famous.