Art Institute of Chicago

Icebound

John Henry Twachtman (American, 1853–1902)

Date

c. 1889

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

Greenwich

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

During the last decade of his life, John Henry Twachtman frequently painted views of the landscape surrounding his home in Greenwich, Connecticut. In a departure from typically barren images of winter, he enjoyed depicting the beauty of the frozen terrain, believing that it was conducive to contemplation and regeneration. The dense layers of paint in Icebound mimic the accumulation of snow on frozen ground, and the sinuous curves that define the snow and ice against the water suggest movement in an otherwise tranquil environment. Almost square in format, the painting’s harmonious composition exemplifies Twachtman’s opinion that “never is nature more lovely than when it is snowing.”

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