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
1995.379.4zz verso
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled within Albert Bierstadt's sketchbook *Trees (from Sketchbook)* (1890) offers an intimate glimpse into the preparatory world of one of America's foremost landscape painters. Bierstadt, a leading figure in the Hudson River, was renowned for his grand, luminist canvases depicting the sublime beauty of the American West. Created late in his career, this modest graphite drawing on wove paper—measuring just 4 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches—captures a cluster of trees with delicate precision, showcasing his keen eye for natural forms and atmospheric effects. The use of graphite on smooth wove paper allo...
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 ...