Sunrise in the Sierras

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: Albert Bierstadt
Date: ca. 1872
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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2nd Floor
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East Wing
Dimensions: 13 ¹⁄₂ x 18 ⁷⁄₈ in. (34.3 x 47.9 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Orrin Wickersham June
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on paper mounted on paperboard
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Landscape — time — sunrise
Landscape — mountain — Sierra Nevada Mountains
Landscape — California
Object Number: 1967.136.8
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/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)