This painting was painted by Grafton Tyler Brown in 1887. Brown was one of the first African American artists to work on the West Coast of the United States. He was also one of the few black painters who achieved popularity and success as well. This painting captures a Geyser erupting and i think Brown does a nice job at capturing the natural beauty of america. I think it also captures America's identity as a whole because America is beginning to break out of the ground just like the Geyser. Much like today America is viewed at by other nations as a country with great beauty and a country with great force and that is what i think Brown captured perfectly in this painting.
I agree that the major focus of this painting is the beauty of nature seen in America; the natural phenomenon creates a brilliant scene to be painted. Furthermore, I feel the painting illustrates well the idea of the mystery of America. America was still a young country in 1887, the year this work was painted, and much of America, especially the west that appears in Brown's painting, was still relatively unknown, much like, at least to the average person, the true nature of a geyser. The painting also features other facets of the natural world and, specifically, the western United States as a storm appears to be brewing in the clouds and a large wooded area is seen behind the geyser.