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The name of the painting is “Yosemite
Valley” by Albert Bierstadt. He made this piece in 1864 after he went to the
west coast of America where he saw this valley in California and drew it in a New
York studio. For this piece, Albert used oil to paint it on a paperboard, which
he then used to make his larger scale drawing in two years. In the piece, you
can notice a herd of deer as two drink and the others stare at the bright sunrise
as a river runs down the middle. If you look, you can see all the warm colors
in the middle of the piece and the attention to detail on the sides where the
mountains are.
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The focus in the piece seems to be
the orange-yellow color coming from the middle. This is because this one color
is not only in the center of the piece but is also the lighting of the piece.
The only part of the painting that is not lit up by this vivid color is the
back of the mountain that really contrast with the rest of the bright piece. As
the light hits the clouds in the sky and the trees you can see, there reflection
in the water as the deer ripple it from drinking. The herd of deer stare off
into the sunrise as it comes up as they hide in the shadow of the mountain even
more adds to the contrast as the deer are dark colored.
When I first saw this painting, I first
thought it was just a beautiful scene. However, after I examined it I thought
it did not just stand for beauty but also the come of a new day. Yes, it could
always just mean something beautiful that he saw while traveling in the west of
America. Nevertheless, I do not think so because as the light broke the
darkness in the valley and the deer looked towards it the sky started clear up
as if making a way for the sun. Another reason for painting this masterpiece could
have been about remembering. What I mean by that is hey painted it to remember
how beautiful not only nature can be but also life so he never forgets it even
when he is down and sad.
I personally like the piece for the
terrain and the ways he uses the colors. The attention to the amount of detail
he did is just short of perfect. Then the technique he used to paint such an amazing
piece just makes me feel as if I was there. I feel as if I could feel those
rays of sunlight on my skin and the grass between my toes. In this entire piece,
he does everything right in all the right places from the details to the color
even down to the amount of contrast he uses to make such a magnificent piece of
art.
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