Passing Storm

Passing Storm over the Sierra Nevadas is a scenic, oil on canvas that is beautifully displayed at the San Antonio Museum of Art. Albert Bierstadt created the work of art in 1870. Bierstadt was born in Germany in 1830 and at the age of two his family moved to Massachusetts, he soon went back to study in Germany where he developed his art abilities. Many of Albert’s art pieces glorify landscapes vividly on actual places he visited while traveling the American West; his fascination with the landscapes grew and expanded his career.
The Sierra Nevada Mountains are a reflection of the American West and Passing Storm over the Sierra Nevadas work of art illustrates a “photographic-like” image of a lake underneath the Nevada Mountains with a dark storm
His use of atmospheric perspective and linear perspective are used to strengthen the painting, Albert uses this specific style in all his work that seems to really captivate his viewers.
In oil paintings many layers of colors are layered on top of one other and brush strokes are usually visible, but in this particular piece they are barley visible to express a realism of a photo. The landscape is extremely detailed to idealize nature in a painting with imperfections shown in the crooked shaped trees and rough texture of the rocks and shore. Albert’s perspective was designed to draw the viewer in, so the landscape was most likely altered to create an ideal view that wasn’t present in reality.
Albert Bierstadt was able to create a work of art that described the beauty of nature and was able to lure the viewers into experiencing the attraction of the outdoors through a painting. Which also helped America in the 19th century by making a small effort to preserve and conserve the wilderness. During this time there was a growing concern for national forests, parks and wildlife. Viewers were able to admire and experience nature through Bierstadt’s works of art without having to travel a great