Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830-1902). Sunny Sky. Oil on paper laid on Masonite. 7-3/4 x 12-1/2 inches (19.7 x 31.8 cm)...

Description

Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830-1902)
Sunny Sky
Oil on paper laid on Masonite
7-3/4 x 12-1/2 inches (19.7 x 31.8 cm)
Bears Kennedy Galleries notations on the reverse: Bierstadt A. / Sunny Sky / A137001P / NEG #3592 / WH471

PROVENANCE:
Kennedy Galleries, New York;
Alexander Gallery, New York;
Questroyal Fine Art, LLC, New York;
Private collection, New York;
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, November 10, 2006, lot 25093 (as Sky Study);
Private collection, Whitesburg, Kentucky, acquired from the above.

Sunny Sky 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 February 6, 2022. In this letter, Ms. Speidel writes:

"As part of his artistic process, Bierstadt painted oil sketches and studies of various elements that he could then refer to when painting finished oils, including dozens of cloud studies. In these studies, painted en plein air, the artist sought to capture clouds in their endless variations and in all types of lighting. In Sunny Sky, the sun has set and the lower stratus clouds are no longer lit by its rays, but the higher cirrus clouds still catch the last of the day's light.

"Sometimes the cloud studies included mountain tops or stretches of land or water, and sometimes, as in Sunny Sky, the focus was entirely on the clouds.

"Today, with modern sensibilities and an appreciation for the abstract, Bierstadt's oil studies such as Sunny Sky are appreciated as works of art rather than as merely oil studies or sketches."


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



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