Figures among bare trees and snow

Washington Square, Winter places walkers along paths beneath a close network of trunks and branches. Pale snow breaks up the darker ground, while small clothing colours distinguish individual people. The park remains recognisable as an active shared space even though the trees and weather occupy much of the composition.

A gathering above bright water

The Raft groups swimmers around a floating platform and tall slide, with sailing boats farther out. Blue water is broken into many small coloured marks. The upright bodies and sloping slide give the foreground a clear arrangement within the wider open setting of sea and sky.

People within the shaded public garden

Luxembourg Gardens spreads adults and children beneath tall trees, with chairs and a pale path creating small resting places. Dark trunks divide the gathering into separate areas. Compare the cool green enclosure with the brighter raft scene, where the figures stand against much more open water.

Related artists and collections

Compare city and leisure subjects in Frederick Childe Hassam, coastal colour in William Merritt Chase and figures in gardens in Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Further figurative prints extends the small encounters, while beach scenes follows the summer activities beside the water.

Read more in our guide to William Glackens.