Sketches of Landscape Views after Leaving Seattle (from Sketchbook) (1890, Met-Objekt 2682)
Original title: Sketches of Landscape Views after Leaving Seattle (from Sketchbook)
kurzbeschreibung
Albert Bierstadt captured a fleeting landscape view in pencil in 1890, where mountains and a river meet. Executed in graphite on wove paper, the sheet comes from one of the artist's sketchbooks.
Description
A stream or river runs across the sheet from left to right, while mountain forms rise behind it. The lines remain open and lively, as if rapidly noted down; details or figures are entirely absent, and only the basic outlines of the landscape are visible. On the left and right, vertical strokes suggest the edges of the notebook. Black and white dominate the entire sheet.
Context
Bierstadt drew this study in 1890, toward the end of his career. It was prompted by a journey through the area around Seattle, whose impressions he recorded in his sketchbook. He kept such sheets as visual notes for later paintings.
Impact
The eye follows the river's course and finds in the spareness of the forms a calm, almost contemplative mood. One senses the fresh, immediate observation of nature, captured in a few strokes.
Technique
Graphite on wove paper carries the drawing. Free, flowing strokes reveal a quick, sketchy hand, characteristic of Bierstadt's studies.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)