Sanford Robinson Gifford
United States; 1823-1880
Alpine Waterfall, 1864
oil on canvas; 21 x 17 inches
Provenance unknown
Like his colleague and fellow National Academician Jasper Cropsey, Sanford Gifford was among the second generation of Hudson River landscape artists. This dramatic Alpine scene with a pair of travelers overlooking a cascading waterfall was probably painted from sketches made while Gifford visited Europe from 1855-57, where he painted with Alfred Bierstadt. His European views were in great demand, and this one - painted several years after his return - was possibly the result of a commission.