Sunglow 

Albert Bierstadt likely made Sunglow with oil on canvas, employing the traditional methods and materials of academic painting. Bierstadt built up the scene, paying particular attention to the textures of foliage and water. His skill in this area gives the painting a remarkable photorealism. But how does the way that Bierstadt constructed this image relate to broader social issues? Well, as a leading member of the Hudson River School, he presented nature as a sublime force, seemingly untouched by human activity. This was a convenient fiction, as the expansion of the American West was predicated on the exploitation of natural resources and the displacement of Indigenous peoples. Bierstadt’s labor-intensive technique served to reinforce this vision of a pristine wilderness, obscuring the social and political realities of his time. By focusing on the materials and making of the painting, we can better understand its place within a complex web of cultural and economic forces.