Rainbow over Jenny Lake, Wyoming 

Editor: Albert Bierstadt's "Rainbow over Jenny Lake, Wyoming" feels almost theatrical. I’m particularly struck by how the paint application seems so smooth and even, especially for oil paint, yet manages to convey such depth. How do you read this painting? Curator: I notice the emphasis on materiality in the depiction. Bierstadt used oil paint, a readily available commodity, to portray a landscape rapidly being commodified for tourism. Consider the physical labor involved in transporting these materials and creating a canvas large enough to contain such a panoramic view. Editor: That’s an interesting angle! I was just thinking about the aesthetic beauty of the rainbow, but your perspective brings in the realities behind its creation. What about the rainbow itself? Curator: Look closely at how the rainbow is constructed. Is it scientifically accurate? Or is it idealized, romanticized for mass consumption? Think about the socio-economic context: landscapes like Jenny Lake were being marketed to Eastern elites, fueling westward expansion. Bierstadt, in his labor, participates in this process. He’s essentially crafting a visual commodity. Editor: So, you're saying it's not just about the beauty of nature but also about how that beauty becomes a resource, a product? Curator: Exactly. And look at the sheer amount of pigment used to achieve this level of detail. It points to the artist's access to materials and the commercial structures that support that access. Consider also the viewer’s consumption: the consumption of both the landscape itself, and of Bierstadt’s painted representation of it. Editor: I never considered the consumption aspect so directly. It really changes how I see the piece. Curator: By focusing on these material conditions and labor aspects, we reveal hidden power structures. Editor: I appreciate your insight, reframing this work beyond just its aesthetic value to include the context of its creation and consumption. It makes the work much richer, if also more complex.