Half Dome, Yosemite 

Albert Bierstadt painted this canvas depicting Half Dome in Yosemite during the latter half of the 19th century. His romanticized and idealized landscapes coincided with the concept of Manifest Destiny and Western expansion, capturing the emotional and spiritual experience of encountering the sublime in the American West. Bierstadt's monumental paintings both shaped and reflected the cultural values of his time. While his landscapes invited viewers to celebrate the beauty of the natural world, this celebration came at the expense of the Native Americans who were displaced from their ancestral lands. The intersection of expansionism, nature, and identity reflected how deeply intertwined landscape painting was with the political and social issues of the era. Bierstadt does not overtly represent this struggle, instead he offers an emotional and aesthetic experience. The painting suggests the natural world is not just a setting, but also a contested space, laden with complex histories and unresolved tensions.