Sample Critical Thinking On Albert Bierstadt, Rocky Mountain Landscape C. 1868

The painting under consideration is the landscape with the mountains and the lake, a group of trees in front and a lot of clouds in the sky. The nature and the sky are divided by the constant line. The line in the work is broken in the lower part of the painting according to the golden section. It indicates the direction which is followed by the viewer’s eye. Because the mountains are rocky and trees are lush, the line is bold. It created both value and space in the work, it creates smooth transition from the dark to the light part of the artwork and also emphasizes the depth and distance between the trees and greens in front and mountains far off on the canvas. The line also indicates that the part of the landscape is not lit up by the sunshine as the mountains and clouds, which seem more magical and inaccessible to the observer.
As for the shapes, there are a lot of complex shapes in the picture as a result of depicting natural forms, so they are biomorphic and very organic, sometimes too harmonious which adds up to the unrealistic texture of the painting. Some of them are very angular and sharp and others are rather soft. The dark rocks in left corner and rocky mountains in the back stand in the contrast to the obtuse form of trees standing in the middle and clouds. They are mostly created by value and color, due to this they create the sense of space and volume in the landscape, but at the same time they are not heavy, but weightless. The figure ground relationship in the painting is strong as the picture from the background would be similar mountain landscape, but reflected upside down, like in the lake.
Broad variations in different values in the work make it very rich and diversified. They are both high and low contrast. High contrast when it is between the objects close the the point of view and far from it, creating space and depth. Low contrast creates forms and volumes of mountains, clouds, trees. The background is light and the facade is dark, the sunlight shines only on the high and vast forms, but it is also reflected in the lake. So the chiaroscuro is used for a large collections of objects. The local value is not dominant, but present in the mountains and trees, light mostly functions from value as there are only two color palettes: green and purple.
These colors are almost opposite on the color wheel and they add to the light contrast, mostly dark shades of green and only light shades of purple. A lot of tones of intense green and a great deal of muted and soft purple even on the rocky mountains, which makes the mountains look not hostile, but soft and enchanting. The colors are distributed and divided by the line, mostly dark green in the bottom and light purple on the top, Accordingly, the transitions of the sky and high mountains are blended and the transitions on the trees and rocks are hard edged. Both colors are common in the nature and very calm, so the effect is sedative.
The texture often is illusory, due to purple and light colors of the mountain tops they seem to be as smooth as the clouds, but the rocks in front are really hard and edgy. However, there are also the soft and flat grass and lake, so the texture defines certain areas in the work. All the textures and transitions seem really detailed and meticulous so there are no brushstrokes visible, which makes the painting look like a window to the magic mountain lake.