Paintings
Mountain Landscape with Cattle
Mountain Landscape with Cattle is one of Keith's celebrated bucolic California landscapes, an intimate scene featuring meadows, groves of trees, and a secluded stream. The mountain in the distance is probably Mount Tamalpais, which overlooks both the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay just north of the Golden Gate. The mountain, long revered by Indigenous peoples, was referred to by the Coast Miwok as támal pájis, or "west hill." Here, traces of settler culture are visible in the long, meandering path worn by grazing cattle, yet a tenuous balance between human activity and pristine natural spaces remains, a prominent theme in Keith's western landscapes.
Keith settled in San Francisco in 1859 and was working as an artist by 1868. In 1869, he traveled through Europe, studying in Düsseldorf, Germany. The realistic style of this painting and its view from a valley into the mountains are typical of artists, including Albert Bierstadt, who trained in Düsseldorf.
Keith settled in San Francisco in 1859 and was working as an artist by 1868. In 1869, he traveled through Europe, studying in Düsseldorf, Germany. The realistic style of this painting and its view from a valley into the mountains are typical of artists, including Albert Bierstadt, who trained in Düsseldorf.
