Waves in 19th Century Art: the Emerald Wave of Albert Bierstadt
“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods Albert Bierstadt’s beautiful landscapes have become a symbol of the American West. They’re also somewhat controversial. Idealized and stunning, today they are often seen as part of the Manifest Destiny propaganda. But is this truly all there is to this German-born immigrant’s masterpieces? Capturing the Dream of the American Frontier in Paint “The Ore gon Trail”. 1869. Albert Bierstadt , The Boca Raton Museum of Art, Florida Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902) was born in the Rhine Province, Germany, and in his heyday became one of the most famous American painters. His large-scale paintings depict the st...