Albert Bierstadt was born in Germany in 1830. He came to the United States with his parents while he was still a baby. He was raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He returned to Düsseldorf to study painting as a young adult. When he was twenty-seven, he returned to the United States to travel the western part of the country extensively with his brother. While he toured the West, he made many tiny paintings. When he returned to his New York studio, he used those paintings and his brother’s photographs to create grand pieces of art displaying the glory of the mountain ranges, waterfalls, and rock formations of the western United States. You can learn more about Albert Bierstadt on the Kids Britannica site.
Remember, Picture Study is very simple. Show one picture to your children. Let them look at it carefully for a few minutes. Then, put it away and talk about what you noticed in the art. What colors did you see? How many people are there? What are they doing? What kinds of buildings are in the pictures? What kind of landscape? Are people having a good time? You can always check the picture to settle disagreements or to refresh memories. Chase rabbit trails where you can. When the conversation dwindles, move on to another activity.
Because these paintings are beautiful, I had trouble choosing just four to show you. So here are eight renditions for you to enjoy.
