Albert Bierstadt, Sunrise in the Sierras, ca. 1872, oil on paper mounted on paperboard, 13 1⁄2 x 18 7⁄8 in. (34.3 x 47.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orrin Wickersham June, 1967.136.8
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Sunrise in the Sierras
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1872
- Location
- Dimensions
- 13 1⁄2 x 18 7⁄8 in. (34.3 x 47.9 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Orrin Wickersham June
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on paper mounted on paperboard
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Landscape — time — sunrise
- Landscape — mountain — Sierra Nevada Mountains
- Landscape — California
- Object Number
- 1967.136.8
Artwork Description
In 1872, Albert Bierstadt traveled deep into Kings River canyon in the South Sierra Nevada with the geologist Clarence King. He created many paintings on this trip, believing that people back East would be fascinated by images of the distant western states. In Sunrise in the Sierras the sunlight bouncing off the tips of the mountains emphasizes the vivid color of the rock against the dark, unfinished foreground. (Anderson and Ferber, Albert Bierstadt: Art and Enterprise, 1990)
