Oil painting -> List of Painters -> Albert Bierstadt
EARLY DAYS:
Albert Bierstadt was an American painter known for his sweeping landscapes of the American West. Born in Germany in 1830, Bierstadt immigrated to the United States with his family in 1853 and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts. While in New Bedford, he studied art with local artist Leonard Ochtman and also worked as an engraver.
In 1857, Bierstadt traveled to Düsseldorf, Germany, to further his art studies at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts. While there, Bierstadt studied under Emanuel Leutze, who had gained fame for his painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. The two became close friends, and it was Leutze who first encouraged Bierstadt to travel to the American West, where he could paint the grandeur of the landscape.
In 1859, Bierstadt finally made his first trip to the American West, traveling with the famed explorer and geologist Ferdinand Hayden. During this trip, the two men traveled to the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, and the Sierra Nevada. Bierstadt was awe-struck by the beauty of the mountains, and he began to paint in earnest. His first works depicted the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, and they soon gained a great deal of popularity.
In 1860, Bierstadt returned to the West and joined a survey expedition led by Lt. George M. Wheeler. This trip lasted nearly two years and included stops in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and California. During this trip, Bierstadt continued to paint, and the paintings he created during this expedition were some of his most famous works.
Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, Bierstadt continued to travel, painting scenes from the American West, as well as from Europe and the Middle East. His works were incredibly popular and helped to inspire a romantic notion of the West that still persists today.
Bierstadt's work was incredibly influential, and helped to popularize the American West. His work is still celebrated today and can be seen in museums and galleries around the world.
Personal Details:
CAREER:
Bierstadt's career began in the early 1850s, when he started his apprenticeship with a painter named Edward H. Dewing. Bierstadt learned a great deal from Dewing, and soon began painting landscapes, which were popular with wealthy patrons. During the 1850s and 1860s, Bierstadt created a number of landscapes in the Hudson Valley, New York and New England. He worked with artist Thomas Cole, and the two often traveled together to paint landscapes.
In the late 1860s, Bierstadt began to travel west in search of new subjects to paint. He made several trips to the Rocky Mountains, which were a popular destination for painters of the period. He was particularly drawn to the grandeur of the mountains and the vastness of the scenery. His paintings of this period, such as "The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak," captured the awe-inspiring beauty of the area.
In 1867, Bierstadt was invited to join a government-sponsored expedition led by surveyor and geologist Ferdinand V. Hayden to the Yellowstone area in Wyoming. During the expedition, Bierstadt created a series of sketches and oil paintings of the area. These works, along with photographs taken by William Henry Jackson, helped to popularize the area and attract tourists to the region.
In the 1870s, Bierstadt began to focus on painting large-scale, dramatic landscapes. His works from this period, such as "The Last of the Buffalo,". were very popular and earned him considerable fame. He also created a series of paintings of Native Americans, which were inspired by his travels in the West.
By the 1880s, Bierstadt's popularity was waning, and he was increasingly seen as out of step with the changing art world. He continued to paint, but his works were not as popular as they had once been. In 1890, he suffered a stroke and was forced to stop painting. He died in 1902 at the age of 72.
Today, Bierstadt is remembered as one of the most important landscape painters of the 19th century. His works have been exhibited in museums around the world, and are still very popular with collectors. Bierstadt's legacy lives on in the beautiful landscapes he left behind.
WORKS OF ALBERT BIERSTADT::
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