Studies of Native American Leaders Made at Fort Laramie 1854 - 1864

Albert Bierstadt created these oil studies of Native American leaders at Fort Laramie. The material he used was not radical for the time, but the choice of subject was. Bierstadt’s loose brushwork captures the individual features and bearing of each man. Notice how the thin application of paint on paper creates a sense of immediacy, as if the artist were working quickly to capture a likeness. This directness contrasts with the highly finished, idealized landscapes for which Bierstadt is best known. While the artist's intentions may have been ethnographic, or even exploitative, the portraits themselves testify to the skill and presence of the sitters. They have an undeniable dignity. In the context of westward expansion and the displacement of Native peoples, this work prompts us to consider the power dynamics inherent in the act of representation, and to ask ourselves whose stories are told, and how, in the making of art.