Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830-1902). Niagara Falls, American Side, circa 1870. Oil on paper mounted on canvas. 20 x 2...

Description

Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830-1902)
Niagara Falls, American Side, circa 1870
Oil on paper mounted on canvas
20 x 27 inches (50.8 x 68.6 cm)
Signed lower right: ABierstadt
Titled on the reverse (but now covered by canvas): Niagara Falls, American Side

PROVENANCE:
Kennedy Galleries, New York;
Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Louis Sarris, Dallas;
Private collection, Dallas, by descent from the above, 2022.

Niagara Falls, American Side is included in the Albert Bierstadt database being compiled by Melissa Webster Speidel in preparation for a catalogue raisonné of the artist's paintings. The present work is accompanied by her letter dated August 30, 2022. In this letter, Ms. Speidel writes:

"Always drawn to the spectacular in nature, Bierstadt visited Niagara Falls throughout his career and painted at least 39 oils of the falls from various vantage points. His older brother, Charles, had moved there in 1863 and set up a successful business as photographer. Albert Bierstadt's first documented visit was in 1865, and his last documented visit was in 1882. Bierstadt painted both the American and Canadian sides of the falls, and views from above, close ups from the base of the falls, and the falls from a distance. At this point in our research, I would date Niagara Falls, American Side to c. 1870.

"Niagara Falls, American Side is an intimate scene from the base of the falls as seen from the American side. Here Bierstadt focused on the grass, trees, and flowers that flourish beneath the falls, and the tumbles of rocks found scattered at its base. The falls itself is seen upper left, and the mist generated by the turbulence of the tumbling water is depicted on the right.

A consummate landscape painter, Bierstadt was able to masterfully capture pictorially the beauty of the cascading waters whether it was Niagara Falls in all of its majesty or an intimate glimpse as in Niagara Falls, American Side."


More information about Albert Bierstadt. See also: Bierstadt, Albert Artist.

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