Sunset

Provenance

Private collection, Connecticut

Literature

Thomas Davies, Collecting Stories: 400 Paintings, 400 Stories A Collection of American Paintings (New York: Laynfaroh, 2008), 30.

Related Works

Sunset in the Yosemite Valley, 1868, oil on canvas, 36¼ x 52¼ inches; Haggin Museum, Stockton, California

Sundown at Yosemite, 1863, oil on canvas, 11¾ x 16 inches; Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain

Note

Bierstadt made numerous sketches en plein air, which he likely carried with him during his travels to England. Aware of potential commissions and unable to transport his large-scale canvases, he relied on these works as foundational compositions. They capture intimate landscapes and smaller-scale mountain views, reflecting the refined, highly sophisticated style he maintained throughout his career.[1] The previous owner held this work in his private collection for over sixty years.

[1] Matthew Baigell, Oil Sketches by Albert Bierstadt: 1830-1902 (Davis & Langdale Company, Inc., 1982), 2.