Seal Rock, California 1872

Albert Bierstadt painted Seal Rock, California with oil on canvas in the latter half of the 19th century, a period when American artists were turning their attention to the grandeur of their own continent. Here, the churning sea and rugged rocks off the California coast serve as symbols of the untamed American landscape. We can read the image as an expression of Manifest Destiny, the belief that American settlers were destined to expand across the continent. The painting invites viewers to see the West as a land of boundless opportunity and adventure. Bierstadt's work, while celebrated, wasn't without its critics. Some saw his dramatic, romanticized style as exaggerating the reality of the landscape. Art historians explore these issues by looking into period documents, travel writing and popular imagery. The meaning of art shifts as society changes.