Chimney Rock 1859

Albert Bierstadt painted 'Chimney Rock' with oil on paper during the height of American westward expansion. The image presents the titular rock formation as a beacon on the Plains. Bierstadt was a key figure in the Hudson River School, whose paintings encouraged the then-fashionable idea of manifest destiny. He visually reinforced a cultural imperative for white Americans to settle the West. Landscape painting was thus far from a neutral genre, and the popularity of the Hudson River School coincided with the violent displacement of indigenous populations. Bierstadt was also very savvy about the art market and knew how to cater to the tastes of wealthy patrons who were eager to see themselves as part of the American project. These paintings provided eastern elites with a visual justification for their political and economic power. Examining period documents and social histories is crucial in understanding the full implications of artworks such as this.