10 Snowy Paintings to Combat Winter Blues: December Pick of the Month
With the chilly weather and gloomy days setting in, we wanted to spread some seasonal cheer by sharing 10 snowy paintings.
1. Winter landscape, Lucas I. van Valkenborch, circa 1535.
Inspired by the works of the aforementioned Pieter Bruegel the Elder, this flurried scene epitomises the winter season. Adults are shown running important seasonal errands such as gathering wood for the fires, whilst ruddy-cheeked children hurl snowballs at each other. The crowded snowflakes add an almost impressionistic quality to the piece.
2. The Castle of Muiden in Winter, Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraaten, 1658.
The stormy sky foreshadowing more snow hasn't seemed to bother the skaters below. They are consumed with their activities of skating, sledging and playing the precursor to golf, kolf. Located seven miles outside of Amsterdam, the castle depicted was built in the early 14th century for Count Floris V of Holland.
3. The Icebergs, Frederic Edwin Church, 1861.
Considered to be the artist’s masterpiece, this painting was labelled “the most splendid work of art that has yet been produced (in America)” when it was exhibited for the first time at a fundraising exhibition for the Civil War.
4. The Magpie, Claude Monet, 1868-1869.
One of the best-known winterscapes in art history, La Pie, depicts the fleeting moment a magpie rests atop a gate near Etretrat. It was painted en plein air, with Monet capturing the genuine effet de neige, with its luminous qualities. Despite this, the piece was rejected by the jury of the Salon in 1869.
5. Winter, David Teniers the Younger, c. 1644.
This personification of Winter as an old man is the finale of the artist’s series of seasonal paintings. Here, Winter is shown cosily swaddled in furs and velvet, heating his hands on a brazier. Behind him, a group of skaters glide across a frozen pond.
6. Women and Children Playing in Snow, Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), 1830-1839.
The most prolific ukiyo-e artist of 19th century Japan, Kunisada created several snow scenes. This one shows a trio in the midst of a snowball fight. The movement of a snowball thrown is emphasised both by the figure’s comical cowering, and the disintegrating snowball.
7. The Hunters in the Snow, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565.
This wintry hunting scene was created by one of the most important artists of the Northern Renaissance. It shows three hunters and their dogs returning from an unsuccessful mission with the lively village stretching out before them contrasting with their exhaustion.
8. Winter Scene in Moonlight, Henry Farrer, 1869.
This is the earliest known landscape in watercolour by the English-born American artist. It likely depicts an area of Brooklyn, where he spent most of his life. The cornflower-blue sky reflecting on the icy ground gives the scene an eerie feel, emphasised by the lack of footprints.
9. Snow in New York, Robert Henri, 1902.
Today it is the most densely populated city in the United States, famed for its tell-tale yellow taxi cabs, but the New York portrayed here shows horse-drawn carts in their place. Firmly inspired by the Impressionists during his time in Paris, the American artist curated the bold yet downcast atmosphere of an urban side street at the turn of the 20th century.
Chester Dale Collection National Gallery of Art Washington D.C.
10. The Skating Minister, Henry Raeburn, 1790s.
Praised as an iconic Scottish work, this late 18th century piece was executed during the Scottish Enlightenment. It shows a friend of the artist, the Reverend Robert Walker, skating on Duddingston Loch. Despite its popularity today, it was virtually unknown prior to 1949 due to its retention by the Reverend’s family.
(Written by Han Parker on behalf of Athena Art Foundation, December 2023)