A Storm In The Rocky Mountains Analysis

A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie is an oil on canvas painting currently located at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City as part of the museum’s collection of American paintings. Albert Bierstadt created this panoramic painting in New York in 1866. The piece’s accession number at the museum is 76.79. Just as the title indicates, the painting’s subject is a storm in the Rocky Mountains, specifically at the lake valley of Mt. Rosalie and with Native Americans riding horses along the river bank. Through the superb use of formal elements, Bierstadt reflects both the excitement and concerns with Westward Expansion and settlement at the time, urging caution in the U.S.’s interactions with Native Americans and nature.
Throughout A Storm …show more content…
The diagonal lines formed the trees on the right, the grass and rock slope on the left, and the V-shaped valley in the center-left, realistically render depth and space, naturally progressing the painting from the grass and Native Americans in the foreground to the bright mountains and dark valley in the background. Bierstadt accomplishes this through the meticulous use of orthogonal lines, which converge to a central point on the lake. Also, as the painting transitions from foreground to background, the rich earth tones of the foreground fade to dull and shadowy grays and blues of the valley in the background. Overall, this shift gives the piece an atmospheric quality that holds true to how a person would actually perceive an impending storm. This realism makes it easier to envision the landscape scene and helps viewers develop feelings and emotions on subject matter. Hence, with Bierstadt’s realistic capture of depth and careful use of atmospheric perspective, he is able to transport people to this realistic scene so that they can contemplate the potential benefits and dangers of expanding and moving to the