Mountain, Lake with Sailboats (from Sketchbook) 1890

"Mountain, Lake with Sailboats (from Sketchbook)" is a pencil sketch by Albert Bierstadt, a prominent American landscape painter known for his dramatic depictions of the American West. Dated 1890, this small-scale work (4 3/4 x 7 3/4 in.) is an example of Bierstadt's preparatory sketches, showing his initial ideas and compositional studies for a larger painting. The sketch, currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reveals Bierstadt's masterful ability to capture the essence of a scene, in this case, a mountain lake with sailboats, with minimal strokes and a focus on light and shadow. This sketch, while a preliminary work, offers a glimpse into Bierstadt's creative process and his keen observation of the natural world.