Friday, February 17, 2012

The Last of the Buffalo


This Painting, named "The Last of the Buffalo," was painted by Albert Bierstadt. Albert Bierdtadt was born January 7th 1830, he was a German-American painter and is known for his huge, detailed landscapes. He traveled West a number of times and painted many pictures of the journey as well as the landscapes he saw.

The picture is an image of a native american hunter on horseback trying to kill a buffalo. Buffalo was the Natives main food supply and they were constantly following the herd and hunting, so much so that eventually the buffalo population died out. the painting uses dark coloring for the valley in the back round, while in the front it is brighter, almost like a stage light shining on the main event in the picture. You can also see in the back round of other animals that look like there trying to escape from the hunter.

The balance of the picture is pretty even, more to the right you see the hunter trying to kill the buffalo while to the side you see a buffalo standing there, almost as if watching. In the center of the picture there is also the skeleton of a buffalo, almost capturing the mood of the picture and making the idea of death more prevalent.

No comments: