“Step into this tranquil winter scene, where snow-dusted mountains and a frozen river evoke the quiet beauty of a cold, clear day. The painting's serene mood and soft, cool colors offer a moment of peaceful escape.”
This winter landscape draws you into a hushed, snow-covered world, where a winding river reflects the pale, cool light of a cloudy day. The stillness of the scene is palpable, with the gentle curves of the distant mountains softened by a blanket of white. Notice how the artist uses subtle shifts in tone to suggest the depth of the snowdrifts and the icy chill in the air, creating a sense of quiet grandeur. The muted palette, dominated by whites, greys, and pale blues, emphasizes the stark beauty of the season, inviting contemplation rather than drama. It captures a moment of serene isolation, characteristic of late 19th-century British landscape painting.
- Artist
- Ernest Waterlow
- Date
- 1897
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Laing Art Gallery
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The delicate pink and orange hues on the distant mountain peaks.
The subtle reflections of the sky and light on the ice-covered river.
The texture of the snow, appearing soft and deep in some areas, crisp in others.
The bare, dark trees on the right, providing a stark contrast to the white landscape.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Mountainous Landscape in Winter — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Ernest Waterlow
1850–1919 · United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandVictorian landscape painter who won the Turner Medal and rose to become president of the Royal Watercolour Society.
Further Works by Waterlow
Suffolk Marshes
1902 · Laing Art Gallery
A Summer Shower
1874 · Walker Art Gallery
The Introduction
1882 · Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums collections
A Highland Burn
1887 · Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums collections
A Breezy Day
1888
The Orphan
1888 · Nottingham Museums
'Wolf, wolf!'
1888 · York Art Gallery
A Rocky Coast
1894 · National Trust
More works to explore
Beyond Waterlow: works from the same years.
Same era · 1880s–1910s
A Woman Walking in a Garden
Vincent van Gogh · 1887 · Frans Buffa & sons
Same era · 1880s–1910s
Still Life with Crayfish
Mikhail Larionov · 1900 · Museum Ludwig
Same era · 1880s–1910s
Frauenkopf vor Sonnenblumen
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1906 · Museum Frieder Burda
Same era · 1880s–1910s
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884
Okada Saburosuke · 1884 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1880s–1910s
Madame Léon Clapisson
Léon-Victor Dupré · 1883 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1880s–1910s
Branch of the Seine near Giverny (Mist)
Claude Monet · 1897 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1880s–1910s
Émilie
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec · 1897 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1880s–1910s
The Kiss
Edvard Munch · 1897 · Munch Museum
Same era · 1880s–1910s
Maternal Caress
Mary Cassatt · 1896 · Philadelphia Museum of Art
Same era · 1880s–1910s
Rue de l'Epicerie, Rouen (Effect of Sunlight)
Camille Pissarro · 1898 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1880s–1910s
The Loire
Alfred Sisley · 1896 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1880s–1910s
Three Tahitian Women
Paul Gauguin · 1896 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
