Meramec Choice Art: Artists See the Seasons - How do artists express the world around them?

Depending where you live in the world and even where you live in the United States, you may see changes in nature as we cycle through the Four Seasons; Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall.

If you live somewhere tropical or for example near a desert, the seasonal changes might not be as dramatic or easy to notice. Either way, artists have been inspired and have captured the Seasons in their art. Today we will look at art where the artist has depicted a season or time of year.

Let’s look at artists who have captured WINTER

John Sloan Backyards, Greenwich Village 1914

"He said he was "in the habit of watching every bit of human life I can see about my windows" This painting was made from the window of his apartment Here we see two children building a snowman in a backyard, with a pair of cats and another child watching them from a window above and laundry flapping in the breeze. He tried to capture everyday life"

Frits Thaulow, Cottages in the Snow, 1891

*This painting and the next 2 are by the same artist

These winter artworks might bring back memories of this time of year and make you think of a time when it snowed.

Frits Thaulow, Farmyard in the Snow, 1891

"Pastel is really colored dust," "This scene of snow blowing off the roof in a storm is a perfect synthesis of subject and medium. The snow looks like powder. So does pastel. You can see how good he was to make that very light white drift across the barn's red side," she goes on. "You can feel the wind. It feels cold."

"Look how that snowy hill just spills toward us. It takes up three-quarters of the painting. Frits Thaulow puts the horizon line almost at the top of his canvas. Very modern. You don't see much of anything but the snow and its shadows (and again, so many colors in this snow — the shadow is almost lavender). This fellow Thaulow makes a world in his snow. There weren't any ski lifts in the 19th century. That's why he paints those footprints, going up the hill."

Camille Pissarro, Morning Sunlight on the Snow, Eragny-sur-Epte, 1895

Here, the snow barely has any white in it. If you look closely, you'll see blues, pinks, yellows. ..., "Each separate color remains distinct but blends to say 'snow.' "

Winter Landscape by Vassily Kandinsky

How does the artist let us know it’s winter in this painting?

Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Winter Landscape with a Bird Trap

(Over 400 years ago these are some of the activities you might have done in winter. Would these kids be inside playing Nintendo switch or watching Netflix? The frozen river allows kids to skate, walk on the ice, ice fish, play hockey, etc.)

Think of the activities you like to do outside in winter.

Hockey On Hotel De Ville Street Painting by Carole Spandau

Artists capture winter LIGHT!

Claude Monet - Boulevard Saint Denis

In Boulevard Saint Denis he is preoccupied with the effect of light on the city during the winter.

Childe Hassam, At Dusk (Boston Common at Twilight), 1885-1886

"This artists captures how winter feels. Cold. A little melancholy at sundown. But mostly content, loving the crisp air, the charming old buildings, the smell of the park. And the pink twilight.”

Ansel Adams-Half Dome, Apple Orchard, Yosemite

American Photographer Ansel Adams traveled to National Parks around the United States photographing nature. Here is a winter scene he captured with his camera.

Andy Goldsworthy’s winter art is also inspired by nature. What material did he use to create these ephemeral sculptures?

The Fox Hunt by Winslow Homer

Artists also show ANIMALS in winter like this Fox dashing in the deep snow.

Does an artist have to include snow outdoors or bare branches to show winter?

Alexander Calder - Snow Flurry

Alexander Calder made Mobiles, a type of sculptures that balances and moves in the air. , He was inspired by winter In Snow Flurry he makes a mobile against a dark background where the sculpture resemble snowflakes.