Bay Scene with Mountains and Boats (Red Rock?) (from Sketchbook) 1890

Albert Bierstadt made this small graphite sketch in one of his sketchbooks, sometime in the late nineteenth century. The casual nature of a drawing like this might lead us to overlook it, but I think that’s a mistake. Consider for a moment the character of graphite itself. It’s pure carbon, of course, a basic element. But as a material, it allows for an immediate and intimate connection between the artist’s mind and the page. Look closely, and you can see the quick, searching lines, the artist’s hand exploring the composition. The softness of the graphite allows for subtle gradations of tone, capturing the light on the mountains and water. This unassuming sketch is not just a preliminary study, but a record of Bierstadt’s direct experience of the landscape, translated through the simple, yet profound, medium of graphite. It reminds us that even in the age of grand landscapes, the power of art can lie in the most elemental of materials.