1863 -1880 · Alpine lakes, granite and Californian light

Bierstadt transforms the Sierra Nevada into a theater of light: mirror lake, granite peak, morning and storm organize immense nature, recomposed for the Eastern public.

Albert Bierstadt discovered the Sierra Nevada during his Californian travels in the 1860s. He carried out on-site studies, collected observations and photographs, then composed large canvases in his studio. Among the Sierra Nevada, California combines a calm lake, deer, trees and peaks bathed in golden light. The landscape seems immediately accessible, but it results from a synthesis of places and effects designed to produce a spectacular experience. Sunrises open the valley with progressive light; transient storms alternate the valley with a progressive light; transient storms alternate the valley with a progressive light; the passing storms alternate the valley with a progressive light; the passing storms alternate the valley with a progressive light; the passing storms alternate the valley with a progressive light; the passing storms alternate the valley with a progressive light; the passing storms alternate the valley with a progressive light; the passing storms alternate the valley with a dark and brightened wall. The morning scenes or mountain lakes emphasize the air transparency and reflection. Bierstadt thus participates in the dissemination of a national image of California, presented as sublime and abundant. This vision accompanies tourism, expansion and territorial appropriation, often minimizing indigenous stories. The collection makes it possible to compare the atmospheric states by which the same massif becomes a promise, refuge or spectacle. The "Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt" selection notably compares Among the Sierra Nevada, California and Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Its reading favors color.

The Sierra de Bierstadt appears discovered in a perfect moment; it is actually constructed by memory, study and carefully orchestrated light.