Every Christmas I wonder what it would be like to have snow on the ground for the holiday. Lower Alabama does not see snow very often. I seem to remember that it snowed here late one Christmas eve, but it looked more like sleet and the ground didn't turn pristine white. Oh well. Anyway, the thought of snow gets me to looking at my favorite snow painting, The Magpie, by Claude Monet.
The Magpie is considered the best of over 40 paintings Monet did of snow scenes. I agree. It's not giant (35 inches by 51 inches), but what an impact it makes! I lust over this painting with its rich texture, sunlight flowing between the gate slats and over the top of the snow piled high on the fence. And then there is the lonely little bird (that's the magpie) sitting in the midst of this splendor. Everything is quiet. One's feet would crunch on the snow while walking. I dream of those blue shadows. It's the richness of the shadows and the contrast of the creamy color-filled white snow that makes this scene so gorgeous. My mouth waters. I want to go over to that gate, open it, and walk beyond. I wish I had painted it.
I will share it with you instead and wish you a beautiful Christmas.
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| Claude Monet, The Magpie, 1868-1869, oil on canvas, 35 inches by 51 inches, Musee d'Orsay, Paris Image in the public domain of the United States |
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