not included preview.

The grand landscapes Bierstadt depicted were vast on a scale that needed large canvases: Her plains, waterways, and mountains in the west required nothing less.

As a luminist painter, Bierstadt used dramatic lighting in his compositions to accentuate the energy of the soaring landscapes. The exquisite use of light, the attention to detail, and the aerial perspective all work to convey a true sense of the wonder that is western America.

His 1867 painting “Emigrants Crossing the Plains” captures well the spirit of that new land. In the painting, a group of settlers are moving toward a blazing evening sky. In the distance are towering cliffs bathed in evening light, and the land that lies before them is vast and flat. Trees frame the setting sun and delineate a water course where the settlers’ livestock may drink.

In his life, Bierstadt achieved great success and recognition. Napoleon III of France even awarded him the Legion of Honor, which is the highest French order of merit. Although the artwork of American landscape painters fell out of favor during the rise of impressionism in the 20th century, Bierstadt’s paintings were preserved in museums and private collections following his death on February 18, 1902. •