When I initially looked at the painting labeled “Late Afternoon, New York, Winter,” I saw a collage of color. There were dots of pink in one corner, a dash of light blue across the center, and white splotches all over the painting. It was as if the artist had captured what I would see if I were looking ahead of me while it was snowing. However, when I looked at it again, the image of Central Park began to materialize in front of my eyes. The trees started to take shape, the carriages pulled by horses were becoming clear, and more importantly, I could see the snow. When I walk through snow, I often fail to see the actual snow, only the blurry white streaks are seen. However, looking at it from another perspective allowed me to see what was in front of me but also what was underneath the painting.
The artist did a brilliant job capturing the chaos and serenity of snowfall. Yes, it is blinding. Yes, it makes the roads slippery. But, the white that it blankets everything in, the calm it instills on a city like New York City, makes one appreciate a snowfall.
