JAIC 1999, Volume 38, Number 1, Article 6 (pp. 55 to 67)

BIERSTADT AND OTHER 19TH-CENTURY AMERICAN PAINTERS IN CONTEXT

LANCE MAYER, & GAY MYERS

ABSTRACT—The work of Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) is put into context by a study of contemporaneous references that pertain specifically to the appearance and presentation of Bierstadt's paintings, including hanging practice, lighting, and framing. Documentary evidence is used to gain a better understanding of Bierstadt's techniques. The authors' observations, after having treated a number of paintings by Bierstadt and his contemporaries and near-contemporaries, such as Thomas Cole (1801–48) and Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), are also included. This discussion in turn sheds light on the criticism of Bierstadt's methods that the artist suffered during his lifetime, as well as on the special problems of preservation of certain of Bierstadt's paintings.
[Spanish Abstract] [French Abstract]

Article Sections:

1. INTRODUCTION
2. PRESENTATION
3. BIERSTADT'S TECHNIQUE
4. CONCLUSIONS
a: References , Author Information

Entire Article