Mount Rainier 

Albert Bierstadt captured this vista of Mount Rainier with oil on canvas, a traditional combination that's anything but neutral. Consider how the industrial revolution affected the mass production of pigments, as seen in the vivid blues and greens. The very act of painting landscapes like this had become newly popular. The materials themselves were implicated in the expansionist project of American capitalism, with the canvas a window onto a supposedly 'untouched' land. But landscape painting has always involved complex negotiations of nature, culture, and power. The brushstrokes, though appearing effortless, represent Bierstadt's labor and skill. And his choice of composition, framing the scene in a particular way, speaks to the selective vision of Manifest Destiny. Ultimately, Bierstadt's painting reminds us that even the most 'natural' scenes are mediated by materials, making, and context.