Mountain Lake 

Editor: This is Albert Bierstadt’s "Mountain Lake," an oil painting. I don't see a date, unfortunately. The way he renders light filtering through the trees and hitting the mountain is quite stunning. It feels very realistic, almost photographic. What strikes you about it? Curator: This is a prime example of Hudson River School painting. I am interested in how Bierstadt exploits the relatively new availability of pre-mixed oil paints in tubes. It allows for that almost photographic realism that you noticed. The mass production of paint impacted landscape painting, especially because painting en plein air became much more manageable. It suggests how industrial advances influenced art. Editor: That’s fascinating! So, rather than a purely aesthetic choice, his style was somewhat dictated by the materials available? Curator: Exactly. And think about the societal context! The painting’s subject is untouched wilderness. But what does that "untouched" wilderness mask about Indigenous land rights and settler colonialism in the 19th century? Romantic landscapes are never just about pretty scenes; they are embedded in socio-political issues of their time. Do you see those grand trees towering over the image and small area in the foreground? What might Bierstadt be suggesting with that deliberate framing? Editor: Maybe a contrast between nature's grandeur and our small place within it? The scale of nature versus the scale of humanity? Curator: That contrast touches on the sublime. However, beyond this concept, how was such a romanticized and expansive view used as propaganda, to fuel this period’s ideology of expansion and control through consumption of the land? Think about the real human cost behind these grand vistas. Editor: This gives me a lot to consider, the role of accessible materials, plus questioning whose vision gets represented and how that impacts land! Curator: Exactly! I think we can see a much bigger picture now.