Ice in the River 1907

"Ice in the River" was painted by Ernest Lawson with oil on canvas, and exemplifies his characteristic thick impasto technique. Lawson's application of paint is so vigorous that it almost becomes a kind of sculptural relief, drawing attention to the materiality of the work. The surface is alive with texture, mimicking the rough and uneven terrain of the winter landscape. You can almost feel the chill in the air. Lawson was often associated with "The Eight," also known as the Ashcan School, who depicted everyday life, often focusing on working-class subjects and urban scenes. While this particular painting is a landscape, you can still see that interest in the everyday. Lawson wasn't interested in grand vistas or idealized nature. Instead, he focused on the quiet, unglamorous beauty of a working river, ice-choked and waiting for spring. The rich materiality and Lawson's attention to the mundane, invites us to look closer, and challenges traditional notions of beauty and artistic subject matter.