Snowscape Art

Like many other forms of landscape art, snowscapes were explored by a variety of artists, in several different styles. Claude Monet, a French Impressionist, drew a snowscape called 'The Magpie' which was a traditional depiction of this art category. However, 'The Magpie' wasn't his only attempt at depicting French winter scenes. Manet ended up painting 139 other snowscapes, as well. Other Impressionists also attempted to portray snowy scenery in their work, including such influential artists as Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pisarro.

Snowscape canvas art was also pursued by Romantic artists, who found the subdued colors and dramatic contrasts of winter scenes ideal for their style of artistic expression. Caspar David Friedrich was one of these artists. His renditions of 'Megalithic Grave in the Snow' and 'Bushes in the Snow' provide a sharp contrast to the Impressionists bright and airy works. Friedrich's paintings focus on the desolation of wintry months, providing paintings that are as haunting and bleak as a grave. Other Romantic artists also depicted such wintry occurrences as blizzards and snowstorms.

Snowscape artworks were also well suited to Oriental styles of art, particularly ones that depicted mountains. The stillness and untouched purity of the snow was an inspiration to Eastern artists, whose works were primarily used for contemplation and meditation. These works often appeared dream-like or mystical due to the techniques used to depict them, and because of the Chinese and Japanese mythologies of winter being a time where spirits roamed the Earth.