About this artwork
Around 1889, after years of training and travel, John Henry Twachtman purchased a seventeen-acre farm in Greenwich, Connecticut. During the next decade, he created some of his finest works there. Like the French Impressionists, whose style greatly influenced him, Twachtman found an inexhaustible source of subjects and inspiration in his local surroundings. Icebound illustrates a favorite theme: a stream descending from rocks to a serene pool surrounded by hemlock trees. In the hushed tranquility of this winter scene, Twachtman achieved a fine compositional balance between spontaneity and control. Movement is implied despite the frozen stillness suggested by the title and the muted tonal harmonies of the painting’s limited white and blue palette. Sinuous arabesques of white snow against blue water accentuate the stream’s descent. Thick brushstrokes of white and streaks of violet amid the blue of the water enliven the picture’s surface. Vivid red-orange leaves serve both as distinctive accents against the dominant white and as reminders of an autumnal life that has not surrendered to the relentless change of seasons.
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Currently Off View
- American Art
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Artist
- John Henry Twachtman
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Title
- Icebound
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Origin
- Connecticut
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Date
- 1884–1894
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Medium
- Oil on canvas
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Inscriptions
- Signed, lower right : "J. H. Twachtman"
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Dimensions
- 64. 2 × 76.6 cm (25 1/4 × 30 1/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Friends of American Art Collection
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Reference Number
- 1917.200
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email .