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拍品專文
Painting when the wonders of the American West were vast and unexplored, Albert Bierstadt captured the beauty of the undisturbed American landscape in a uniquely successful manner, which distinguished the artist from his contemporaries. An exceptional example of the artist’s signature aesthetic, Mountain Lake represents Bierstadt’s ability to communicate the sublime through his adept use of perspective, light, color and composition.
Bierstadt’s majestic depictions of the West are his most highly regarded works and rank among the most triumphant accomplishments in nineteenth-century American art. The artist made his first trip out West in 1859, when he joined Colonel Frederick W. Lander's regiment on the authority of John B. Floyd, Secretary of War, as they ventured from their post in St. Louis, Missouri, to the Western coast. Bierstadt traveled with the group as far as the South Pass on the Continental Divide and diligently sketched, photographed and recorded the scenery. The fully realized oils he finished once back in his studio were received with much praise, as they illustrated the breadth of the wilderness of the Western United States, which was uncharted territory for most New Englanders. At the Annual Exhibition in 1860, Bierstadt showed one of these monumental oils, Base of Rocky Mountains, Laramie Peak (Unlocated), and his submission was hailed "the pièce de resistance" of the landscapes on view. (New York Tribune, March 27, 1860, n.p.) Following his original 1859 trip and through 1873, Bierstadt made multiple journeys from the East Coast to the far reaches of the Western frontier in search of a pure landscape untouched by human presence.
The remarkable and raw American landscape captivated Bierstadt, who described it in one of the many letters he sent back East for publication in the art magazine, The Crayon: "If you can form any idea of the scenery of the Rocky Mountains and of our life in this region, from what I have to write, I shall be very glad; there is indeed enough to write about—a writing lover of nature and Art could not wish for a better subject. I am delighted with the scenery...In the valleys, silvery streams abound with mossy rocks and an abundance of that finny tribe that we all delight so much to catch, the trout. We see many spots in the scenery that remind us of our New Hampshire and Catskill hills, but when we look up and measure the mighty perpendicular cliffs that rise hundreds of feet aloft, all capped with snow, we then realize that we are among a different class of mountains." (as quoted in G. Hendricks, Albert Bierstadt: Painter of the American West, New York, 1974, p. 70) In the New Bedford Daily Mercury, Bierstadt further praised the Western landscape, writing, "For the most part, the weather has been delightful, and such beautiful cloud formations, such fine effects of light and shade, and play of cloud shadows across the hills, such golden sunsets, I have never before seen. Our own country has the best material for the artist in the world." (as quoted in Albert Bierstadt: Painter of the American West, p. 86)
Bierstadt’s compositional technique in the present work underscores the impression of spectacular serenity that he wanted to convey to his audience about his experience exploring the West. Employing atmospheric perspective, warm golden sunlight casts an ethereal glow over the landscape, creating a scene of both grandeur and tranquility from the distant, looming mountains to the wild, gnarled trees. As if Bierstadt’s landscapes were a stage being lit by the world’s largest spotlight, the artist’s crepuscular scenes, particularly those depicting a rising sun, enhance the inherent drama of nature by highlighting its striking forms and underscoring its ruggedness through dark shadows.
With its rich attention to detail, scale and color, Mountain Lake unequivocally embodies Bierstadt’s ambition of harmoniously bringing together the spiritual and natural world. As seen in the present work, Gordon Hendricks writes, “[Bierstadt’s] successes envelop us with the beauty of nature, its sunlight, its greenness, its mists, its subtle shades, its marvelous freshness. All of these Bierstadt felt deeply. Often he was able, with the struggle that every artist knows, to put his feelings on canvas. When he succeeded in what he was trying to do—to pass along some of his own passion for the wilderness and beauty of the new West—he was as good as any landscapist in the history of American art.” (Albert Bierstadt: Painter of the American West, New York, 1973, p. 10)
Bierstadt’s Western landscapes are widely held in museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming; American Museum of Western Art, Denver, Colorado; and more.
Bierstadt’s majestic depictions of the West are his most highly regarded works and rank among the most triumphant accomplishments in nineteenth-century American art. The artist made his first trip out West in 1859, when he joined Colonel Frederick W. Lander's regiment on the authority of John B. Floyd, Secretary of War, as they ventured from their post in St. Louis, Missouri, to the Western coast. Bierstadt traveled with the group as far as the South Pass on the Continental Divide and diligently sketched, photographed and recorded the scenery. The fully realized oils he finished once back in his studio were received with much praise, as they illustrated the breadth of the wilderness of the Western United States, which was uncharted territory for most New Englanders. At the Annual Exhibition in 1860, Bierstadt showed one of these monumental oils, Base of Rocky Mountains, Laramie Peak (Unlocated), and his submission was hailed "the pièce de resistance" of the landscapes on view. (New York Tribune, March 27, 1860, n.p.) Following his original 1859 trip and through 1873, Bierstadt made multiple journeys from the East Coast to the far reaches of the Western frontier in search of a pure landscape untouched by human presence.
The remarkable and raw American landscape captivated Bierstadt, who described it in one of the many letters he sent back East for publication in the art magazine, The Crayon: "If you can form any idea of the scenery of the Rocky Mountains and of our life in this region, from what I have to write, I shall be very glad; there is indeed enough to write about—a writing lover of nature and Art could not wish for a better subject. I am delighted with the scenery...In the valleys, silvery streams abound with mossy rocks and an abundance of that finny tribe that we all delight so much to catch, the trout. We see many spots in the scenery that remind us of our New Hampshire and Catskill hills, but when we look up and measure the mighty perpendicular cliffs that rise hundreds of feet aloft, all capped with snow, we then realize that we are among a different class of mountains." (as quoted in G. Hendricks, Albert Bierstadt: Painter of the American West, New York, 1974, p. 70) In the New Bedford Daily Mercury, Bierstadt further praised the Western landscape, writing, "For the most part, the weather has been delightful, and such beautiful cloud formations, such fine effects of light and shade, and play of cloud shadows across the hills, such golden sunsets, I have never before seen. Our own country has the best material for the artist in the world." (as quoted in Albert Bierstadt: Painter of the American West, p. 86)
Bierstadt’s compositional technique in the present work underscores the impression of spectacular serenity that he wanted to convey to his audience about his experience exploring the West. Employing atmospheric perspective, warm golden sunlight casts an ethereal glow over the landscape, creating a scene of both grandeur and tranquility from the distant, looming mountains to the wild, gnarled trees. As if Bierstadt’s landscapes were a stage being lit by the world’s largest spotlight, the artist’s crepuscular scenes, particularly those depicting a rising sun, enhance the inherent drama of nature by highlighting its striking forms and underscoring its ruggedness through dark shadows.
With its rich attention to detail, scale and color, Mountain Lake unequivocally embodies Bierstadt’s ambition of harmoniously bringing together the spiritual and natural world. As seen in the present work, Gordon Hendricks writes, “[Bierstadt’s] successes envelop us with the beauty of nature, its sunlight, its greenness, its mists, its subtle shades, its marvelous freshness. All of these Bierstadt felt deeply. Often he was able, with the struggle that every artist knows, to put his feelings on canvas. When he succeeded in what he was trying to do—to pass along some of his own passion for the wilderness and beauty of the new West—he was as good as any landscapist in the history of American art.” (Albert Bierstadt: Painter of the American West, New York, 1973, p. 10)
Bierstadt’s Western landscapes are widely held in museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming; American Museum of Western Art, Denver, Colorado; and more.