Late Afternoon, New York, Winter by Childe Hassam (Interpretation and Analysis)

Late Afternoon, New York, Winter
Source: Brooklyn Museum

The Impressionist style is typically associated with France and French artists; however, the movement reached far and wide beyond that nation’s borders. In the United States, Childe Hassam was one of the leading figures of the Impressionist movement. Along with his contemporaries, Hassam was responsible for popularizing Impressionism in America. Today, Hassam is known for his paintings of urban and coastal scenes, and his painting Late Afternoon, New York, Winter is the perfect piece of art for these cold, snowy days.

As the title suggests, Late Afternoon, New York, Winter depicts a city street in New York, probably in Manhattan. Through a haze of snow, we see a line of carriages struggling up the snowy streets. In the backgrounds, buildings loom out of the snowy sky, half concealed in shadow. A few figures can also be seen, walking down the street.

While the scene itself is very simple, Hassam’s Impressionistic style gives it a degree of beauty and mystery that elevates the subject matter. Hassam conveys depth and shadow through careful layering of paint and clever use of color. Thus, buildings and items seem hazy, yet present through the screen of snow. The snow itself is painted with loose, painterly brushstrokes on a soft veil of blue paint.

Taken together, the painting provides a vivid, yet somewhat gloomy portrait of modern, urban life. Personally, it also reminds me of my time living in New York City; it was always tough to deal with snow there.