Sunrise on the Matterhorn
after 1875
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
58 1/2 x 42 5/8 in. (148.6 x 108.3 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Karl W. Koeniger, 1966
Accession Number
66.114
Tags
About this artwork
This work by american artist Albert Bierstadt exemplifies the artistic achievements of after 1875. American artists of this period were establishing distinct visual traditions while engaging with European artistic movements. Created in oil on canvas, this painting showcases the artist's technical command and aesthetic sensibility. The medium offered particular qualities of color, texture, and luminosity that artists exploited to achieve specific visual effects and expressive goals. Measuring 58 ...
Art Historical Context
Albert Bierstadt's *Sunrise on the Matter*, created after 1875, the dramatic majesty of the Swiss Alps at dawn, a subject that reflects the artist's fascination with monumental landscapes. A leading figure in the Hudson River School, Bierstadt was renowned for his luminous, romantic depictions of nature's sublime power, often blending American wilderness traditions with European grandeur. This oil on canvas exemplifies his ability to evoke awe through glowing light effects, portraying the iconic Matterhorn peak bathed in the soft hues of sunrise—a nod to the era's growing American engagement w...
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 ...