Outline Sketches of Two Rowboats (from Sketchbook)
ca. 1891
Medium
Graphite on wove paper with gilt edges, bound in a leather cover
Dimensions
4 3/4 x 7 3/4 x 7/16 in. (12.1 x 19.7 x 1.1 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Marguerite H. Rohlfs, 1995
Accession Number
1995.379.3o recto
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albert Bierstadt, a leading figure of the Hudson River School known for his dramatic, luminist landscapes of the American West created this intimate page from a sketchbook around 1891. Tucked within a luxurious leather-bound volume with gilt-edged wove paper, *Outline Sketches of Two Row* captures quick graphite outlines of two simple boats, likely observed during one of his many plein air excursions. At just 4 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches, it a rare peek into the preparatory side of an artist famed for monumental canvases evoking the sublime beauty of untamed nature. The medium—graphite on fine wove p...
About the Artist
Albert Bierstadt · 1830–1902
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902) was a German-American landscape painter renowned for his monumental, luminous depictions of the American West. As a prominent member of the second generation of the Hudson River School and the Rocky Mountain School, Bierstadt created sweeping panoramas that captured the sublime grandeur of untamed wilderness with unprecedented theatrical scale and romantic vision. His ...