This week, I'm happy to feature one of my favorite artists, Albert Bierstadt.  If  you've ever seen one of his giant landscapes in person, they are just breath-taking!  It's almost as though you can feel the American West opening up before you.

From his biography on AlbertBierstadt.org:

Albert Bierstadt was born in Solingen, Germany. He was only about two years old when his family moved from Germany to New Bedford in Massachusetts. In 1853 he returned to Germany to study in Dusseldorf, where he refined his technical abilities by painting Alpine landscapes. After he returned to America in 1857, he joined an overland survey expedition which allowed him to travel westward across the country.

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The artist's rugged, romanticized landscapes of the West, painted on a grand scale with an abundance of detail and dramatic lighting, captured the imagination of 19th-century art collectors and their interest catapulted Bierstadt to the top of the American art market. His paintings brought record prices and in his lifetime, Bierstadt enjoyed tremendous success and recognition.

If you get the opportunity to see a Bierstadt at a museum near you, I highly recommend it!