About this artwork
Bierstadt painted Valley of the Yosemite in 1864, the year that Yosemite was granted to California as a protected park by President Lincoln. He was 34 years old and had just returned from his second trip to the West, where he had visited Yosemite for the first time. The paintings he made of Yosemite would make it the most famous landscape in America, and they would play a role in the creation of Yellowstone as the first national park in 1872.
The painting shows the Yosemite Valley from the valley floor, with the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome visible in the background. The valley is painted in warm, golden light, with the meadows and the river described in soft, horizontal strokes. The cliffs are painted in cool, translucent layers of gray and blue, with the rock described by the color relationships rather than by drawing. The sky is filled with luminous clouds, and the light falls from the upper left, illuminating the cliffs and casting the valley in a warm, golden glow. A few deer are visible in the foreground, providing a sense of scale and a touch of wilderness.
Bierstadt first visited Yosemite in 1863, on a trip with the writer Fitz Hugh Ludlow. The trip was a revelation: Bierstadt had never seen a landscape of such scale and beauty, and he made dozens of oil sketches and drawings that he would use as the basis for paintings over the next decade. Valley of the Yosemite was one of the first paintings he made after the trip, and it was exhibited in New York in 1864 to enormous critical acclaim.
The painting was made at a pivotal moment in the history of American conservation. In 1864, President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, which gave the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to the state of California as a protected park. This was the first time the federal government had set aside land for public use and preservation, and it set the precedent for the creation of the national park system. Bierstadt's paintings of Yosemite were instrumental in building public support for the protection of the American wilderness.
Oil on canvas, 61 by 91 centimeters. Bierstadt painted with a smooth, controlled touch, building the cliffs in thin, even layers of gray and blue. The meadows are painted in warm, translucent strokes of gold and green, with the grass described by the direction of the brushwork. The river is painted in thin, reflective strokes of blue and white, with the reflections of the cliffs visible on the surface. The deer are painted in small, precise strokes of brown and white, with their forms described with the accuracy of a naturalist. The sky is painted in soft, luminous layers of gold and white, with the clouds built in thick, opaque strokes. The surface has the polished, finished quality of an academic painting.
The horizontal format and warm palette make this print work well in a living room, dining room, or office. The warm golds, cool grays, and blues pair with natural wood, white walls, and rooms with a traditional or grand character. The 18x24 size is the best choice, as the composition needs width to read. The painting has a sublime, luminous quality that suits rooms with a dramatic or patriotic mood.
This is a public domain artwork from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. We print it on archival matte paper at sizes from 8x10 to 18x24 inches, framed or unframed.
