Albert bierstadt short biography

The arts writer Charles McQuillen notes that Leutze and Whittredge did, however, encourage him to persevere with his own style which would ultimately give rise to "theatrical compositions, hard-edged Neoclassical drawing techniques, careful attention to detail, and romanticized landscapes [which were] sentimental, fanciful, and allegorical in content [and] painstakingly executed in a highly finished style".

Bierstadt remained in Europe for four years, where he devoted himself to his art. During his last year in Europe, he travelled with Whittredge through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy where he spent the winter months visiting Rome, Naples, and Capri. He returning to New Bedford in as a matured artist. He taught drawing and painting for a brief period, before devoting his time fully to his own work.

Initially Bierstadt produced works based on fictional European scenes. Then, in latehe joined Frederick W. Lander's overland survey, traveling to the western part of the United States and the Rocky Mountains. Lander had been contracted by the government to survey, engineer, and later build, what would become known as the "Lander Trail" across Wyoming and Idaho.

Bierstadt made countless sketches along the way and also started to dabble in the new medium of albert bierstadt short biography. His sketches and photographs formed the basis for the vast vistas he would execute later in his studio. InBierstadt travelled this time to the Platte River and Wind River Mountains, taking in the breathtaking scenery and sketching scenes of life for native inhabitants.

He proceeded to the Rockies, where the views sometimes bettered even those of the European Alps. Bierstadt was so enthused he declared "Our own country has the best material for the artist in the world". His first important painting from this period now lost was Base of the Rocky Mountains c. He made such an impression that a few weeks later he was made an honorary member of the NAD.

Bierstadt soon developed a strong reputation for his paintings of the mountainous American West, including one of his most highly praised works, The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak Around this time, he also established a successful photography business in New York City with his brothers Charles and Edward the business ran from to In earlyBierstadt headed westward once more, this time with author Fitz Hugh Ludlow perhaps best known for his book The Hasheesh Eaterwhich detailed his experiences using drugs.

The two men passed through Utah and San Francisco, spending seven weeks in the Yosemite Valley, before making their way back home via Oregon. Soon after, Ludlow and his wife, Rosalie, divorced leaving her free to court Bierstadt. Despite this, Ludlow and Bierstadt remained close friends with Ludlow emerging in fact as one of the artist's strongest champions.

He wrote about their expeditions in articles for The Atlantic Monthlyand later, in a book titled The Heart of the Continent Ludlow was also the art critic for The New York Evening Post for which he wrote laudatory reviews of Bierstadt's paintings. Later inBierstadt was called up for military service but paid another man to serve in his place.

Albert bierstadt short biography

The following year, his painting Rocky Mountains was exhibited at the New York Sanitary Fair next to the work of the highly respected landscapist, Frederic Edwin Church. It was praised by influential art critic James Jackson Jarves for displaying "an unsurpassed rendition of American light". It was in New Hampshire in fact that he executed what is considered by many to be amongst his most accomplished works, Emerald Pool Bierstadt became associated with the so-called second-generation Hudson River School.

The artists were considered "second" because they ventured beyond the immediate Hudson region to more far-flung domestic locations. Indeed, Bierstadt along with Thomas Moran shifted his focus geographically and presented the Western landscape as the epitome of the nation's untapped natural resource. Moreover, whereas the Hudson's group's founder, Thomas Coleplaced emphasis on creating sublimeallegorical images of nature, the second-generation artists shifted their approach, focusing more on careful observation of the landscape, and the production of paintings that prompted a sense of contemplative serenity in the viewer.

By helping raise the great American West to a level of national consciousness, Bierstadt became linked to the concept of Manifest Destiny. This was the belief, widely held in nineteenth century America, that the white settlers of the West had accepted a God-given mission to conquer their environment as a way of creating a new "heaven on earth" namely America.

As historian Anne F. Hyde puts it, "Bierstadt painted the West as Americans hoped it would be, which made his paintings vastly popular and reinforced the perception of the West as either Europe or sublime Eden". In Bierstadt and Rosalie were married and the newlyweds spent two years touring Europe. While in London they were granted an audience with Queen Victoria a known admirer of his work ; in Paris, Bierstadt received the prestigious Legion of Honour medal; and in Rome, the couple socialized with the renowned composer Franz Liszt.

During these travels Bierstadt rented studios and continued to paint. Bierstadt stayed two years, sketching, and painting, and selling works to collectors in the local area. In Julythe Bierstadt's travelled to San Francisco on the newly built transcontinental railroad. They remained in California until October However, Bierstadt's work for the Philadelphia Centennial was not at all well received and signaled the beginnings of a downturn in his artistic fortunes.

In autumnRosalie was diagnosed with tuberculosis and advised by her doctor to recuperate in warmer climates. On her doctor's advice, the Bierstadt's retreated in the colder months to the Bahamas where Bierstadt sketched and painted the local tropical landscapes and seascapes with renewed vigor. Indeed, his painting, The Shore of the Turquoise Seawas perhaps his last critical success when it was exhibited at the National Academy of Design in InBierstadt's studio "Malkasten" burned down, and he lost alberts bierstadt short biography works.

This harsh setback coincided with a depressed art market. But the hardest blow to his morale came when his entry for the Exposition Universelle in Paris, The Last of the Buffalowas rejected by the American selection committee. His paintings, such as "Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains" and "The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak," became iconic representations of the American West, celebrated for their dramatic lighting, meticulous detail, and sense of awe-inspiring scale.

Bierstadt's unique style, characterized by his use of luminism to create glowing, atmospheric effects, set him apart as a master of American landscape painting. His ability to convey the sublime beauty of nature, from towering mountains to cascading waterfalls, resonated with audiences and critics alike, earning him widespread acclaim and recognition as one of the foremost painters of his time.

Despite his success during his lifetime, Bierstadt's popularity waned in the years following his death in He then joined Frederick W. Along the process, Bierstadt drew innumerable drawings and dabbled in the visual medium of photography. His sketches and images served as the foundation for the huge landscape paintings he would later create in his workshop.

Bierstadt returned to the Wind River Mountains inreveling in the spectacular environment and drawing images of native life. He continued on to the Rockies, where the vistas occasionally rivaled those of the European Alps. Base of the Rocky Mountains was his first significant work from this era. When one of his landscape paintings was featured in the annual show at the National Academy of Design in New York in the albert bierstadt short biography ofit pleased reviewers.

He made such an impact that he was awarded an honorary member of the academy a few weeks later. Around the same time, he and his brothers Edward and Charles started a thriving photographic company in New York City. Stereographic photograph of El Capitan, 3, ft. Bierstadt returned west in earlythis time with novelist Fitz Hugh Ludlow. The two gentlemen spent around seven weeks in Yosemite Valley before returning home through Oregon.

Ludlow and his wife split soon after, freeing her to pursue Bierstadt. Bierstadt was summoned for military service later inbut he paid somebody else to serve instead. Influential and important critic James Jackson Jarves complimented it for presenting an unrivaled representation of American light. From here, Bierstadt traveled to New Hampshire and New England, frequently accompanied by his photographer brother Edward.

In fact, it was in New Hampshire that he completed what many believe to be one of his most brilliant masterpieces, Emerald Pool Albert Bierstadt became associated with the notion of destiny after helping to lift the great American West to a degree of national consciousness. This was the widely believed notion in 19th century America that white colonists in the West had chosen a God-given purpose to dominate their surroundings in order to create a new paradise on earth.

Bierstadt and Rosalie married in and spent two years exploring Europe as newlyweds. In London, they were allowed a meeting with Queen Victoria, who was a recognized lover of his works; in Paris, Bierstadt was awarded the famous Legion of Honor medal; and in Rome, the pair mingled with the famed composer Franz Liszt. Bierstadt kept painting while traveling and rented workshops.

Bierstadt stayed for two years, drawing, painting, and selling his work to local clients. He was a prolific artist, having completed over possibly as many as paintings during his lifetime, most of which have survived. Many are scattered through museums around the United States. Prints are available commercially for many. Original paintings themselves do occasionally come up for sale, at ever increasing prices.

Because of Bierstadt's interest in mountain landscapes, Mount Bierstadt in Colorado is named in his honor. William Bliss Baker, another landscape artist, studied under Bierstadt. From wikipedia. Albert Bierstadt FB.