Thawing Brook (Winter Shadows), 1911
Oil on canvas, 26 1/8 x 29 3/16”
Signed and dated lower left
This painting was done in Cornish, New Hampshire, while Metcalf was visiting the art colony there. The brook seems only barely to be thawing, but the artist makes the deep winter chill seem lovely and appealing. The alternate title directs us to shadows that seem to be forcing the sunlight to retreat.
Asymmetrical compositions, inspired by Japanese print designs, are frequently seen in American Impressionism. Here the delicate bushes popping up from the bottom recall Japanese prints as well. They counter, to some extent, the illusion of distance and help make of the picture a synthesis of naturalistic representation and decorative design.