The Art of Advent: Day Three

By Anna Marweld

For day three of HASTA’s advent calendar, we will be exploring a frosty landscape in Monet’s Snow at Argenteuil. Here, the Impressionist has depicted his home commune of Argentuil, located 12km from the centre of Paris. This particular work is the largest of a series of 18 works Monet completed during the winter of 1874-75.

Claude Monet, Snow at Argenteuil, 1875, Oil on canvas, 71cm x 91cm, National Gallery, London

The scene unfolding envelops the viewer with a chill. A blanket of snow lies on the ground, Monet’s use of impasto creating the impression that it has been traversed, no longer completely fresh. Our eye is drawn up to the two figures ahead, cuddled up in thick clothing to brave the cold temperatures.  Beyond them lies a picturesque town, with snow-capped fences and roofs, the hustle and bustle of a crowd forming. The two main figures are presumably returning from a walk. Above them is a huge, open, cool sky, the soft sheet of clouds breaking open to reveal a crisp winter blue. Monet is able to beautifully capture the muffled silence of a snow day. We can almost detect the crunching of snow underfoot, the chirp of a bird far away. The commune feels as if it is just waking up from a slumber, still cocooned in the down of snow. A sense of peace and quietness emanate from Monet’s work. The day has just begun, or it is about to come to an end – the commune is suspended in time for a moment, enduring eternally, as if only on the cusp of change.