Riverbank with Mountains and Trees (from Sketchbook)
1890
Medium
Graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
4 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. (12.1 x 19.7 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
1995.379.4t verso
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albert Bierstadt, a leading figure of the Hudson River School, was renowned for his sweeping, Romantic landscapes that celebrated the grandeur of the American West. Created in 1890, late in the artist's career, *Riverbank with Mountains and (from Sketchbook)* an intimate glimpse into his process. This small graphite drawing on wove paper captures the serene interplay of a riverbank, majestic mountains, and lush trees, evoking the sublime beauty of nature that defined Bierstadt's oeuvre. Unlike his monumental oil paintings, this sketch reveals his keen observational eye and fluid technique, lik...
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 ...