ALBERT BIERSTADT - Life, Works & Painting Style | Great Artists simply Explained in 3 minutes!

Albert Bierstadt was an American landscape painter of the 19th century. His painting style can be categorized as Romanticism.

He was born in Solingen, Germany, in 1830. At the age of two, he emigrated to the USA with his family. At around 20, he worked as a drawing teacher, although he was self-taught.
He later returned to Germany to study at the art academy in Düsseldorf. He also traveled to Germany, Switzerland and Italy with painter friends. After his return, he received recognition. His travels through the USA and his stays abroad shaped his style. He married Rosalie. However, they had no children of their own. Despite his initial fame, interest in his works waned. After the death of his wife, he was lonely and died penniless at the age of 72 in 1902.

He was known for his monumental landscape depictions of the American West, which tended to be romanticized and rarely realistic. He often changed details for the sake of effect and loved dramatic lighting effects. He did not simply "paint" landscapes, but composed them, as he believed that different types of landscape trigger certain emotions in people.

His painting style is characterized by bright colors and detailed depictions of natural phenomena such as mountain landscapes, wide valleys and majestic sunsets.

His famous works include "The last of the Buffalo" and "Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak". For the painting "Among the Sierra Nevada" he was even awarded a gold medal.

It is assumed that he created over 500 paintings. After his death, Bierstadt was soon almost completely forgotten until he was rediscovered in the 1960s as part of the nature and environmental movement in the USA. Today, he is an unforgettable pioneer of American landscape painting.