Approaching Thunderstorm on the Hudson River 

Albert Bierstadt painted 'Approaching Thunderstorm on the Hudson River' using oil on paper, capturing a dramatic, yet picturesque scene. It’s easy to view this work through the lens of the Hudson River School, a mid-19th century American art movement. These artists celebrated the American landscape, often with an emphasis on the sublime, but their work can also be seen as reflecting the cultural and political climate of their time. Made during a period of westward expansion and industrial growth, paintings like this one contributed to a sense of national identity and pride tied to the land. They promoted the idea of America as a vast, untouched wilderness, ripe for exploration and exploitation, yet they often overlooked the indigenous populations and the environmental consequences of this expansion. The visual codes of light and darkness here reinforce a sense of awe and perhaps foreboding. Historians might use sources from the period like travel narratives and political speeches to better understand how the painting fits into broader cultural attitudes toward nature and progress.