Farralon Islands, California 

Albert Bierstadt painted "Farralon Islands, California" on canvas. The composition is dominated by a play of horizontals and verticals; the low horizon line emphasizes the breadth of the sea, while the jagged verticality of the rocks provides a counterpoint, grounding the scene. There's a tension between the rough, dark materiality of the rocks in the foreground and the atmospheric lightness of the sky and sea. Bierstadt employs a semiotic system of light and shadow, where the chiaroscuro not only models form but also evokes a sense of the sublime. We are presented with both a literal depiction of place and a Romantic interpretation of nature's power. This duality functions as a site of ongoing interpretation.