Captain Concay (?) Commanding The New (?) Santa Maria (from Sketchbook) 1891

Curator: We are looking at Albert Bierstadt’s pencil drawing from 1891, titled "Captain Concay (?) Commanding The New (?) Santa Maria," currently residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What's your first take on this piece? Editor: The lightness strikes me. Just the faintest graphite capturing this vessel, feels ephemeral, almost like a memory surfacing. How substantial could that ‘New Santa Maria’ be? Curator: Precisely! Bierstadt was likely exploring the symbol of exploration and navigation. Think of the weight carried by the name “Santa Maria” – Columbus's ship, rebirth and crossing into a New World, or potentially the decline or reinvention of heroic narratives…it suggests both opportunity and a complex past. Editor: Materially, it’s intriguing too. Pencil on paper—a quick, reproducible medium compared to oil paint— democratizing the heroic sea narrative? Also, it raises questions about production—was this preliminary work, a sketch from life, or something else entirely? The materiality directly informs our understanding of Bierstadt’s approach. Curator: A good point. Given Bierstadt's known fascination with the grand landscapes and narratives, I'd argue this sketch shows him thinking through those larger themes. "Santa Maria" could carry its historically significant weight, signaling the ongoing cultural project of discovering or colonizing new territories. The captain commands this symbol, and how reliable or effective his ship actually is. Editor: I agree there’s a play of control and uncertainty at work. The quick nature of the pencil and the lightness of the marks is in sharp contrast to the laborious and highly detailed process that would characterize his later and grander landscape paintings. It almost implies he wasn't taking the 'Captain' or this reinvention of "Santa Maria" as seriously as a 'grand history painting.' Curator: A worthwhile tension. Thank you, Albert Bierstadt for giving a space to think what a ship means to you! Editor: A subtle sketch speaking to some quite material questions around exploration and re-creation!