Winter 18th century

Anne Vallayer-Coster created “Winter” with oil on canvas, in France. The work is an illusionistic painting of a stucco relief of cherubic children playing in the snow, framed by garlands of flowers. The artist’s technical virtuosity is the true subject here. Notice how she coaxes the oil paint to mimic the qualities of other materials. The soft, matte finish of the stucco is skillfully rendered through careful brushwork, as are the delicate floral arrangements, replete with their velvety textures, and the polished marble ledge, evoking the opulence of aristocratic life. Vallayer-Coster was celebrated in her day for precisely this ability to conjure up entire sensory worlds using only paint. It was a skill that she honed through a deep understanding of her materials, and how they could be manipulated to create illusions of reality. The painting transcends mere representation; it becomes a testament to the transformative power of artistic skill.