In the Foot Hills of the Rockies
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Bierstadt’s oil sketch, In the Foot Hills of the Rockies, while not dated, relates in style and subject to a series of oil sketches of the Rocky Mountains that he made on or after his second trip west, in 1863. Here the artist concentrates on the foreground details of the lush greenery and fir trees and gradually moves toward the middle ground with rolling hills, and spiraling smoke signaling a Native American settlement. The distance has a more atmospheric effect through the artist’s use of white paint to indicate glaciers and snow packs that highlight the geological nature of the front range of the Rockies.
Artwork Details
- Title: In the Foot Hills of the Rockies
- Maker: Albert Bierstadt (American, Solingen 1830–1902 New York)
- Date: ca. 1863
- Geography: Country of Origin United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on paper laid down on canvas
- Dimensions: 14 x 19 inches
Framed: 22 1/2 x 27 1/4 inches - Credit Line: Promised Gift of Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore
- Object Number: L.2024.16.1
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing