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| Albert Bierstadt, “Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California”, 1868 |
I think most who stop by here know of the death of Remus, proprietor of The Woodpile Report. We feel that silence like a blow. Remus was erudite and approachable, which is a heck of a trick to pull of successfully. Those who marked Tuesdays by “New Woodpile Report!” and those of us fortunate enough to have corresponded with him, even just a few times, feel his loss keenly.
In the old days, bards would have sung songs to his memory. While we could try that, I would probably scare off anyone who heard me “sing”.
Eaton Rapids Joe has a tremendous idea to honor his memory, and is allowing me to steal it and to ask all of you who blog to consider joining in. It’s simple-find a piece of “fine art”, which you may define as you will, and post it with some commentary on Tuesdays. Sorry this one is a day late; I will endeavor to stick to the proper day in the future.
With all the mess that we find ourselves mired in every day, I think it’s going to be a great idea for all of us who write and all who read to remember that there are good and finer things in life.
I make no representation of being an art aficionado. I’m one of those simple folks who “knows what I like”, and I go with that.
One of my art favorites is the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School was a 19th Century movement that focused on realistic representations of romanticized vistas. While it started with those who painted from the scenes in the Hudson River Valley of New York, it later expanded and included scenes from across the county. Art of this later, enlarged period is sometimes called “luminism“, although that category appears to lack the romanticism of the Hudson River School.
Today’s art is from Albert Bierstadt, a German immigrant, who painted the American West. He was fortunate enough to be financially recognized for his work during his life, unlike so many artists whose greatness is only recognized after their death. In later years, he fell out of favor as critical tastes changed.
The art itself is “Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California”, painted in 1868. The original is at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. “Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains” was painted near the height of his career. It’s a romanticized (some would say idealized) view of the American West painted during the westward expansion. It was exhibited in Europe before exhibitions in the US, and is believed to have helped lure European immigrants to to US.
