Julian Alden Weir (1852- 1919), Woods in the Snow, c. 1895, oil on board, 20 1/16 x 24 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchase/gift of Mahonri M. Young Estate, 1959.
Suggestive of the deep winter snowstorms common in the Northeastern United States, this seasonal landscape was painted by Julian Alden Weir on his 155-acre farm in Branchville, Connecticut. Weir loved nature and spent a great deal of time on his rural property employing its many topographical features in varied seasons as the subject of his paintings. Unique among his works, Woods in the Snow depicts barely visible trees clinging to their withered, copper-colored leaves despite the persistently falling snow. The limited palette, loose brushstrokes, and less defined forms reflect the influence of his friend and fellow artist, John Twachtman, who painted similar tonal works.