Elizabeth Meyer
Head of Auction Administration
Sold for US$85,000 inc. premium
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Provenance
Sale, Christie's, New York, December 4, 2008, lot 171.
Acquired by the present owner from the above.
Albert Bierstadt may be best known for his mammoth, awe-inspiring landscape paintings of the American West, yet the German-born, Massachusetts-raised artist often sought out quieter, poetic moments in nature that reveal his keen powers of observation and his ability to transport a viewer to any location. The present work, Mont Blanc, is a prime example of Bierstadt's success presenting the subtle and intimate within an immense subject.
Mont Blanc, located along the French-Italian boarder, is not only the highest point in the Alps but also the highest peak in Western Europe. Likely rendered on one of the many trips Bierstadt took to Europe between the years of 1878 and 1897, Mont Blanc, provides the viewer with a bird's eye view of the stoic peak. By establishing a distinct back, middle and foreground, Bierstadt successfully creates a well-rounded composition rooted in traditional uses of space. As mist and clouds settle in the valley, dynamic angles draw the eye to a rocky outcrop in the right foreground that carefully presents two forward leaning pine trees. The placement of these trees is decisive and enduring. Rendered in oil, Mont Blanc is a highly finished example of Bierstadt's most successful skills of transferring passion and observation to paper.