Winter 1859

Curator: Brrr, I can almost feel the chill emanating from George Baxter's "Winter," held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Painted in the mid-19th century, it captures a stark, snow-covered landscape. Editor: It feels like the quiet before a storm, doesn’t it? The muted palette almost washes out the scene, lending it a ghostly quality. Curator: The composition certainly emphasizes the geometry. Note how the bare trees and the church spire create strong vertical lines, contrasted by the horizontal snow-laden roofs and the log in the foreground. The figures are rendered in a slightly different way, creating almost a collage. Editor: They're like afterthoughts. I'm drawn to the atmospheric perspective, though. It's a masterful execution, dissolving details into the distance and enhancing the sense of vastness and maybe even foreboding. The pink sky hints at some hidden heat. Curator: Yes, the subtle gradation of color contributes to the overall mood. The tonal range is quite narrow, heightening the textural contrast between the snow and the sky. It's a wonderful formal study of the season. Editor: And a lovely reminder that even in the depths of winter, there is a stark beauty to be found.