Art Talk: Albert Bierstadt

Today's artist highlight is Albert Beirstadt.

Growing up in the American West, the fact that Bierstadt is my mother's favorite artist, and being a landscape photographer are some of the things that draw me to Bierstadt.

He was born January 7, 1830 in Prussia and his family moved to Massachusetts when he was a year old. He died 71 years later on Feb. 18, 1902 in New York City.

Beirstadt is best known for his over sized paintings of nature, specifically the American West.
Below is from the American West, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

I was born in Page, Arizona and when I was 3 years old our family moved to Bishop, California which is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Mount Cocoran
Albert Bierstadt, 1876-1877

In Early 2019 I did a Art Talk post Art Connects Us about this painting that I inherted from my mom.

Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Albert Bierstadt, 1868

Here is that painting hanging in my home next to a painting by my father and my favorite picture of my parents. Art truly does connect me and I choose to highlight Bierstadt so I could learn a little more about my mom's favorite artist.

I learned that Bierstadt was an entrepreneur and in additional to being a great painter he also had a lot of flare for advertising his work.

He gained a lot of notoriety during his life time and even exhibited in a private reception with Queen Victoria in 1867.

The American Civil War happened from April 1861- April 1865. Beirstadt was drafted in 1863 and paid for a substitute to serve in his place.

In addition to painting the Hudson River and the American West he also painted grand landscapes of Europe.

Lake Lucerne
Albert Bierstadt, 1858

I would love to go to Switzerland and visit Lake Lucerne. Can we make that happen when I come visit you Hive account@delishtreats?

Below is Lake Lucerne close up, far away and with my mom when she came to visit me in 2005.

Toward's the end of his life he spent time in Nassau Bahamas with his wife that had tuberculosis until her death in 1893. Another tragedy struck when a fire destroyed his studio in New York with many of his paintings.

He was a prolific artist painting over 500 paintings in his lifetime.

In doing this research I realized that Among the Sierra Nevada, California is at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I will go see it next time I am in DC.

Sources
Wikipedia- Albert Bierstadt