Winter Landscape

In this wintry scene, leafless trees establish an irregular vertical pattern in orange, brown, and yellow as a late-afternoon sun casts diagonal shadows in cool tones along the hillside. Gardner Symons does not offer a clear pathway through the landscape like earlier artists: his view of barns and houses neatly contained within these sloping stone walls bespeaks an ordered control of the landscape that creates barriers. The walls delineate the topography of the snowy hills, and add dashes of color in surprising places.

A recent conservation cleaning showcases Symons’ command of his palette.Look closely and notice how he highlights the reds, greens, and warm browns of the lichen-covered stones