Yosemite Valley Sunset Analysis

The art world in the early twentieth century was marked with change, and many of the artist of the time were following the shifting times. Artists of the world were moving toward abstractions and expressionism. The American artist however where focused on American Realism. American Realism focused on ordinary people and ordinary things. The shift was not felt by Charles Marion Russell or Albert Bierstadt who preferred to make Romanic Realism paintings. Further more Charles Marion Russell’s painting “Bronc to Breakfast” (1908) and - Albert Bierstadt’s “Yosemite Valley Sunset” (1865) (hereafter referred to as “Bronc” and “Sunset”) both significantly feature horses, people, and western backgrounds. Russell builds drama within his painting by using

Most of the paintings centered or contained a water source of some sort, and some even contained a waterfall which fed the river or lake within the painting. The natural surroundings of the water source are edged in trees and rocks. Some of the paintings containe animals such as deer, although some of the paintings contain people. Bierstadt’s paintings have similar settings with a water source in the middle, mountains or tree lines to the sides and a dusky sun near the center of the painting. “Sunset” is a great depiction of Bierstadt’s dramatic landscape paintings and bright lighting. He used the lighting to bring out the landscapes, and with the beautiful wide river he used a mountain on the left and trees on the right. He highlighted the center of the painting with the bright sunset, and he gave the sun a yellow golden color to give the appearance that the sun is going

The men are taking the land over and the sun can no longer protect it. The drama builds as the sun slowly recedes. The opposite cliff shows great strength as they oppose the men that are coming to take over. can be said for the cliff face and the reflection in the water, the tree line to the direct right of the sun shows great detail until it gets shrouded in shadows. Bierstadt’s use of colors and use of natural elements blends together with the drama of the western movement of man. Bierstadt created a world of spectacular beauty and drama on one