Artwork
Canadian Rockies (Lake Louise)
Canadian Rockies (Lake Louise) is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Albert Bierstadt. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A small oil sketch, just under 15 by 21 inches, Albert Bierstadt's 1889 view of Lake Louise records the glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies with the directness of work done on the spot. It came to the Met in 1982 through the bequest of Ruth Alms Barnard, the kind of field study Bierstadt made for reference back in his New York studio.
Overview
This compact work captures the glacial Lake Louise in Alberta's Banff National Park with a directness characteristic of studies made on location.
Albert Bierstadt's Canadian Rockies (Lake Louise), painted around 1889, is an oil sketch on paper mounted to board. This compact work captures the glacial Lake Louise in Alberta's Banff National Park with a directness characteristic of studies made on location. Measuring just under 15 by 21 inches, it reflects Bierstadt's extensive travels through the American and Canadian West, where he gathered visual information for his artistic practice.
Technique & Style
The choice of oil on paper mounted to board facilitated Bierstadt's work in the field, allowing for portability and quick execution. This immediate approach contrasts with the meticulously rendered, large-scale panoramas he composed in his New York studio. While initially serving as preparatory material for these grander compositions, the sketch's fresh, observational quality later gained independent appreciation as artistic tastes evolved.
Context
Bierstadt, who trained in Düsseldorf and maintained a studio in New York, frequently journeyed westward to document the continent's expansive landscapes. These expeditions provided the raw visual data for both his monumental exhibition paintings and smaller, more intimate studies like this one. By the late 19th century, public preference shifted from grand, detailed canvases towards the modest, direct landscape observations associated with Barbizon and Impressionist art.
History & Provenance
This depiction of Lake Louise entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1982. It was a bequest from Ruth Alms Barnard and is now displayed within the museum's American Wing. The acquisition highlights the evolving recognition of Bierstadt's smaller, more spontaneous works, which were increasingly valued for their intrinsic artistic merit rather than solely as preliminary studies.
Artist & collection
Artist
Albert Bierstadt (January 7, 1830 – February 18, 1902) was a German-American painter best known for his lavish, sweeping landscapes of the American West.
