Winter in Yosemite Valley 1872

Albert Bierstadt made this painting of Winter in Yosemite Valley using oil on paper mounted on canvas. Note how the artist applies thin washes of paint to build up the forms of the landscape. Bierstadt was part of the Hudson River School, whose artists emphasized the American landscape and the idea of manifest destiny. In this picturesque painting, we can see how the paper texture is visible in the sky and snowy areas, which is quite different from the smooth surface of traditional oil paintings on canvas. This particular material and process allowed Bierstadt to create a sense of immediacy and capture fleeting moments in nature. Rather than focusing on the labor or social issues, this painting highlights the beauty and awe-inspiring power of the natural world. It invites us to appreciate the skill involved in translating such scenes onto paper and challenges the divide between fine art and landscape painting.