4 CONCLUSIONS

It seems apparent that throughout the 1880s Bierstadt experimented with materials and techniques in a manner not evident in the more technically orthodox paintings of his heyday. Furthermore, his choice of materials during this period has sometimes had a deleterious effect on the appearance and condition of his paintings today. It seems likely that his experimentation with materials arose at least in part out of a concern for the preservation of his paintings, but in some cases the effect has been just the opposite.