Winter Scene

Painting

-

Calvin University Center Art Gallery

The painting depicts a serene winter village scene, where snow blankets the ground and rooftops, with a solitary figure carrying laundry in the foreground. A tall, bare tree stands prominently, and the village extends into the background, where hills are dusted with snow.

The painting depicts a serene winter village scene, where snow blankets the ground and rooftops, with a solitary figure carrying laundry in the foreground. A tall, bare tree stands prominently, and the village extends into the background, where hills are dusted with snow.

Name/Title

Winter Scene

Entry/Object ID

1978.3.1

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Category

Vault, Exterior space, Landscape
Building, Architecture

Made/Created

Artist

Mathias Alten

Date made

1917

Dimensions

Dimension Description

image size

Height

19-3/4 in

Width

23-1/2 in

Dimension Description

frame size

Height

27 in

Width

31 in

Exhibitions

Prince Conference Center, President's Dining Room - October 2002 - March 2004
90 Years of Collecting - September 4–October 20, 2012 Center Art Gallery
Mathias Alten Through the Seasons - October 21 - December 20, 2016 Center Art Gallery

General Notes

Note

Expanded Wall Label: In 1889, at the age of seventeen, Mathias Joseph Alten came to the United States and began working as a painter. Best known for his land and seascapes, Alten also became accomplished at portrait, floral and animal painting. He went to study at the acclaimed Académie Julian, and at the Académie Colarossi, where he won a gold medal for best figure drawing. Like many American Impressionist and Realist painters of his generation, Alten returned to Europe in the years of 1910, 1912, 1922 and 1928 to paint in the Netherlands and Spain. Alten's home and life-long career were in Grand Rapids where he was known as a painter of the local scene. He passed away in 1938, leaving a legacy of work that is respected and collected to this day.