Talk:The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Viriditas (talk) 05:15, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Images

• No higher-res version available? Viriditas (talk) 08:40, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
• Would it be helpful to add a Manifest Destiny-related image to the composition and theme section? Viriditas (talk) 12:36, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Lead

• Should the lead mention the theme? Viriditas (talk) 08:41, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

• It has been compared to, and exhibited with, The Heart of the Andes by Frederic Edwin Church.
  • Yes, but it doesn't say why in the lead. Viriditas (talk) 12:35, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

• Should the idealized nature of the landscape be mentioned in the lead? Viriditas (talk) 12:44, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Background

• His greatest success, however, came with The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak, which he exhibited in 1863 at the Tenth Street Studio Building, where he also had a studio.
  • Was the art exhibited at his studio in the Tenth Street Studio Building? Viriditas (talk) 07:15, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Composition and theme

• "Bierstadt's painting hit a nerve with contemporary Americans, by portraying the grandeur and pristine beauty of the nation's western wilderness. It was a reference to the idea of Manifest Destiny, where the Rocky Mountains represented both natural beauty, and an obstacle to westward expansion.[9] In the words of historian Anne F. Hyde: "Bierstadt painted the West as Americans hoped it would be, which made his paintings vastly popular and reinforced the perception of the West as either Europe or sublime Eden." At the same time, the Native Americans in the foreground gave the scene authenticity, and presented it as a timeless place, untouched by European hands.
  • As a reader, I find this a bit curious. Either I am missing something, or perhaps there is more in the sources that can be added. The concept or philosophy of Manifest Destiny was not favorable towards Native Americans, yet Bierstadt's painting depicts them in a peaceful manner. Can you explain this discrepancy, or comment on what the sources are trying to say? Viriditas (talk) 07:59, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

• • • I don't think there is a discrepancy in the eyes of Bierstadt's contemporaries. People did not understand the spatial needs of the nomadic lifestyle of some Native Americans, or of the agriculture of other Native American people which was far less intensively managed than European agriculture. Therefore, they saw the West as thinly populated, and basically for the most part uninhabited - an empty space that was not used by anyone. No-one assumed there would be a negative influence of the settlement of the West on Native Americans, as they were basically expected to move out of the way. On top of that, the belief in the universal nature of progress meant that people assumed Native Americans would welcome giving up their own lifestlye and merge into the settler population. Otto von B. (talk) 16:29, 18 April 2017 (UTC)

Reception

• Most reviews of the painting were positive
  • Yet, we only have one positive review and one critical review. I understand that this is balanced out by saying it won a prize, but if most reviews were positive, should we not add at least one more positive review, instead of equal parts positive and negative? Ending the reception on a negative note seems odd. Viriditas (talk) 08:21, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

• The painting won a prize at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1867.
  • Which prize? Viriditas (talk) 07:48, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Criteria

GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)

1. It is reasonably well written.

   a (prose): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists):

2. It is factually accurate and verifiable.

   a (references): b (citations to reliable sources): c (OR):

3. It is broad in its coverage.

   a (major aspects): b (focused):

4. It follows the neutral point of view policy.

   Fair representation without bias:

5. It is stable.

   No edit wars, etc.:

6. It is illustrated by images, where possible and appropriate.

   a (images are tagged and non-free images have fair use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):

7. Overall:

   Pass/Fail: