Madison Square, Snow 1904

Allen Tucker made this painting of Madison Square in snow with oil on canvas. Look at how the brushstrokes build a world of hushed color, the paint applied like soft whispers. I can imagine Tucker layering strokes of icy blue and powdery white to capture the city's winter stillness. I can almost feel the cold seeping into my own hands as I imagine him working en plein air. He might have wondered how to convey the city's quietness while smoke billows from chimneys in the distance. Notice the trees in the foreground, their skeletal forms softened by the snow. Tucker doesn't give us hard edges, but suggests the scene with a gentle touch, like a memory fading at the edges. He probably knew the Impressionists and their focus on light and atmosphere, and it's interesting to see him interpret that influence in his own way. It's like he's saying, ‘We're all looking at the same world, but what do we see, really see?’