Snow

Regarded as one of the finest American impressionist painters, Twachtman had a highly personal approach to his landscape images, returning several times to the same scene, not only to observe and record the changing effects of light and atmosphere, but to capture the quiet, meditative states they inspired. By 1899 the Cincinnati-born Twachtman had purchased a seventeen-acre farm near Greenwich, Connecticut, the scene of this image. Much of Twachtman's acclaim lies in his images of snowy landscapes executed during his so-called "Greenwich Years." "Never is nature more lovely than when it is snowing," he wrote. "Everything is so quiet... all nature is hushed to silence." Twachtman was affiliated with the Ten American Painters, a group of artists influenced by Impressionism. This work shows the impact of both James McNeill Whistler—in its exploration of seemingly endless nuances within a limited palette—and of Japanese prints—in its quiet austerity and the perfect placement of all elements.