Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902) was a German-American painter best known for grand landscape memoirs of his travels. His realistic, romantic and luminous interpretations are numerous. He studied in Germany and spent time with the Hudson River School. He travelled to Switzerland and made many trips westward in our country sharing the views of settlers. You may have hiked Bierstadt Trail to Bierstadt Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park named in his honor. This piece is currently on display at The Met Fifth Avenue in NYC.

And just so we don’t romanticize our discussion of this artist, Bierstadt’s work was met with controversy. Many felt his paintings encouraged settlement of the west and promoted the doctrine of manifest destiny. This doctrine named the westward expansion as obvious and certain and stated nothing about the fate of indigenous people in these territories. Others felt his paintings brought awareness and appreciation to those who would never see the West’s grandeur and encouraged conservation efforts.

All these years later, we can look at this luminous Matterhorn and call our own questions. With his skill and care, Albert Bierstadt seems to share his love for the sky, the peaks, the sun, the trees. Maybe he helps us pause and see. Maybe he prompts us to savor the world around us in every view. Maybe he moves us nearer to God and gratitude in this Advent season as he paints hope, peace, joy and love held by the very stones for all of us.

May this be so and amen.

In gratitude, faith and hope,

Sandy Prouty
Minister of Children and Families
Montview Church