Sunrise 

Albert Bierstadt, a German-American painter associated with the Hudson River School, captured this sunrise in an oil painting. Bierstadt, along with other artists of his time, romanticized the American landscape, reflecting the 19th-century concept of Manifest Destiny, the belief that American expansion throughout the continent was justified and inevitable. The warm, golden light invokes a sense of divine blessing upon the land, but it also conceals the violent displacement of Indigenous peoples. As the landscape is transformed by light, so too was the identity of America being reshaped. Bierstadt’s paintings suggested an untouched, pristine wilderness, even though these lands were already inhabited and cultivated by Native communities. This artwork is emotionally compelling, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the sublime beauty of nature. However, it is essential to remember that this representation is not neutral; it carries a history of conquest, erasure, and the imposition of a new cultural identity.