Albert Bierstadt
Few artists did more to popularize the American West than German-born Albert Bierstadt. The enormous canvases he painted from sketches made during several trips to western American landmarks such as the Rocky Mountains and Mount Corcoran in the Sierra Nevada only made his reputation for panoramic landscapes grow. Bierstadt’s travels took him across the United States and Europe, though he freely changed the details of places he painted in order to heighten the drama and excitement of his compositions.
How can art heal?
Bierstadt‘s first wife, Rosalie, suffered from tuberculosis. Treatment consisted of rest and a warm climate, and Nassau, capital of the Bahamas, had both. Rosalie went there in 1877, and her husband visited as often as possible between his various painting trips. This scene was done during one of his visits. Bierstadt probably did most of the work on the spot, laying the brilliant blues and greens of the ocean with long strokes and dabbing in the sandy foreground with quick touches.
Museum purchase, Mildred Anna Williams Collection
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