Existing comment:
Beyond the Horizon
The impulse to explore, and sometimes conquer, is pervasive in human history.
Albert Bierstadt's paintings captured the imagination of the public, promoting the idea of westward expansion. Through his celebration of the American landscape, Bierstadt helped pave the way for the National Park Service and the protection of sites like Yosemite.
The scene on Mars was painted at the start of space exploration by Chesley Bonestell, whose images helped the public picture other worlds. The comparison shows us something we might not notice about Bierstadt's painting at first -- it is as uninhabited as the surface of another planet. His pristine landscapes show the West as white settlers chose to see it: unoccupied, although the land had been home to American Indians for thousands of years. One people's future collided violently with another's. |