Landscape Artists: Albert Bierstadt

and John Constable (1)

By Irina Boone

Albert Bierstadt• German-American

painter • Best known for his

luxurious, sweeping landscapes of American West

• Was among the most energetic, hardworking, and internationally honored American artists of the 19th century.

Albert Bierstadt• Was born in Solingen, Germany, on January 8,

1830• Emigrated at age of two to America with his

parents and two brothers• Settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1833

where his father became established as barrel maker

• Early developed a taste for art and made clever crayon sketches in his youth

• When he was 21 years old, he began to paint in oils

Albert Bierstadt Olevano, 1856 (oil on paper mounted on canvas)

Albert Bierstadt• At the age of 23, returned to Germany to study in

Dusseldorf• Painted Alpine landscapes which advanced his

technical abilities• Studied painting with the members of the

Dusseldorf School in Dusseldorf, Germany for 4 years

• Taught drawing and painting briefly before devoting himself to painting

Albert Bierstadt: Alpine Landscape (2)

Exploring West • At the age of 27, returned to America• To get to the places he wanted to draw, had to travel

west with explores• Was painting parts of the country that most people had

not seen• Journeyed into the mountains and the wilderness,

carrying his paints and canvasses by horseback• 1859 joined an overland survey expedition traveling

west across the country• Along the route, he made a lot of photographs and

sketches of the majestic mountain ranges and dramatic rock formations, which resulted in numerous finished paintings

Surveyor’s Wagon in the Rockies, 1859 (3)

Albert Bierstadt: Yosemite Valley - 1866

• Yosemite Valley was created by Bierstadt on location when he visited this incredible valley in the high Sierras

• First visited the Yosemite Valley in 1863• Painted it in all seasons, climates, and moods

Albert Bierstadt: Yosemite Valley – 1866 (4)

Albert Bierstadt: Looking Down Yosemite Valley

Albert Bierstadt: Sunset In The Yosemite Valley

Albert Bierstadt

• His landscapes of the West used a lot of detail and drama.

• His paintings brought record prices and he enjoyed tremendous success and recognition

• He became internationally famous for his paintings of newly accessible American West

• His works were purchased by public and private collections at extremely high prices at that time

Albert Bierstadt: The Buffalo Trail

Albert Bierstadt:

The Buffalo Trail: The Impending Storm, 1869 (5ab)

Albert Bierstadt:• Died in 1902, and people seemed to forget his

work until the 1960s• People became more interested in preserving the

national lands of the USA, and his paintings began to be shown again

• Because of his interest in mountain landscapes, Mount Bierstadt in Colorado in named in his honor

John Constable (6)

• Was one of the major European landscape artists of XIX century

• Now is among the most popular and valuable in British art

• Became established only at age of 52

• Sold more paintings in France than in his native England

John Constable• Born in East Bergholt, Suffolk, England, on 11 June 1776 • Died on 31 March 1837 (age 60) London, England• Started painting as a young boy in school• At 17 years old, his father decided to train him as a miller

o Constable spent a year working on the family millo Which helped him to determine his course of life: he would be an artist

• He would take his watercolors and sketchbook along when he went hiking, one of his favorite activities

• Became one of the best-known landscape artists of his time because he painted the places he knew best: fields, hills and farms near his home

• When asked what inspired him most, he said: “The sound of water escaping from mill dams, willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts and brickwork, I love such things. These scenes made me a painter.”

John Constable (7)

His most famous paintings:o Dedham Vale of 1828 (Left) –

“Constable Country”o The Hay Wain of 1821 (Below)

“I should paint my own places best, painting is but another word for feeling.”

Summer Evening Near East Bergholt,

Suffolk (8)

John Constable• When he was 23 years old – took lessons from

some famous artists of his time• 1800 he entered Royal Academy Schools where

he studied and copied Old Masters• As a student, he was inspired by the paintings of

Old Master landscapes such as Thomas Gainsborough, Claude Lorrain, and Peter Rubens

• He read a lot of poetry and sermons, and later was recognized as articulate artist

View of East Bergholt House (9)

John Constable’s early art

• Constable deeply believed that the actual study of nature was more important than any artistic model

• Refused to “learn the truth second-hand”• To a greater degree than any other artist before

him, Constable based his paintings on precisely drawn sketches made directly from nature

• One of the most notable picture of his early works was “Dedham Vale” (1828)

Dedham Vale, 1828 (10ab)

• Color, light, and shade

Constable’s Philosophy

• “No two days are alike, nor even two hours; neither were there ever two leaves of a tree alike since the creation of all world; and the genuine productions of art, like those of nature, are all distinct from each other”

Dedham Vale: Morning

Avant-garde (innovative) Artist

• Before he painted a scene, he made a simple sketch to show him how the colors needed to work together in a final painting

• These large sketches used bold brush strokes, which were new at that time. For many years, most painters used delicate, detailed brush strokes to show their subjects

The Leaping Horse

He created a new style• The oil sketches – made him avant-garde painter,

one who demonstrated that landscaping painting could be taken in totally new direction

• In addition to the full-scale oil sketches, Constable completed numerous observational studies of landscapes and clouds, determined to become more scientific in his recording of atmospheric conditions.

Seascape Study with Rain Cloud (1824)

Discovered after his death

• His paintings are among the most popular and valuable in British art

• But he was never very successful financially during his lifetime

• His paintings sold for a lot of money only after he had died

The Hay Wain, 1821 (11)

Landscape: Boys Fishing, 1813 (12)

Chain Pier, Brighton  1826-7

Two Landscape ArtistsAlbert Bierstadt John Constable