Sea Lions, Farallon Islands 

Albert Bierstadt created this oil on paper, Sea Lions, Farallon Islands, likely in the second half of the 19th century. The painting is divided into three horizontal bands: sea lions in the foreground, waves in the middle ground, and sky at the top. The use of impasto in the waves creates a sense of texture, and the artist employs diagonal lines to convey movement, suggesting a turbulent sea. The arrangement of the sea lions on the rocks introduces a rhythmic pattern, guiding the viewer's eye across the canvas. The painting can be read through the lens of structuralism, in which the sea lions, waves and rocks can be seen as signs or signifiers within a broader cultural discourse of the Pacific Coast. The way the brushstrokes are used and how colors are applied function within the context of 19th-century aesthetic and philosophical ideas. Bierstadt's work, with its emphasis on the picturesque, engages with new ways of thinking about space, perception, and representation. The textured, broken surfaces of the rocks challenge any fixed meaning, offering a space for continuous interpretation.