Snow Capped Moutain 

Albert Bierstadt made this painting of a snow-capped mountain using oil on paper, likely sometime in the late 19th century. The appeal of oil paint lies in its capacity to capture light, which Bierstadt leverages to great effect here. He built up the mountain using thick layers of paint, a technique known as impasto. This gives a sense of the mountain's rugged texture. The strokes in the foreground are looser and more gestural, creating an atmospheric perspective. Bierstadt’s application of paint is directly related to the landscape that he’s representing; its materiality is essential to its message. During the 19th century, landscape painting served an important cultural function, shaping perceptions of the American West and fueling expansionist sentiments. This painting is a window into the era's ambitions and its romantic view of nature. Thinking about the material reality of this picture encourages us to consider the social context in which landscape painting flourished.