Canadian Landscape with Mountains and Trees (from Sketchbook) 1890

Albert Bierstadt made this pencil drawing, titled 'Canadian Landscape with Mountains and Trees,' as part of a sketchbook, and its date is unknown. The sketch is a window into the artistic process of Bierstadt, famous for his large-scale landscape paintings of the American West. Considered within the context of 19th-century American art, this work reflects the cultural fascination with landscape and the idea of the frontier. The Hudson River School, to which Bierstadt was associated, saw the landscape as a symbol of national identity and divine presence. Artists had an important role in promoting the idea of Manifest Destiny, the belief that American settlers were destined to expand across the continent. They often depicted idealized scenes that reinforced the idea of an unspoiled wilderness awaiting settlement and cultivation. To truly understand this piece, one can consult historical documents, travel accounts, and studies of American art and cultural history. Art is contingent on its social and institutional context.