Formal Analysis of Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow)

This work, titled Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow), was estimated to have been painted by Vincent van Gogh during January of 1885. The painting features a winter scene of bare trees in a row, snow enveloping everything, and a man who seems to be shoveling. 

Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow) 1885
oil on canvas
by Vincent van Gogh

The vertical lines in the painting created by the upright figures, such as the trees, man, and sparse plants scattered around, give the painting a stern feeling that adds to the frigidness of winter. Colors also play an important part in the mood of this painting. Vincent van Gogh chose very neutral colors for his painting, ranging from whites to greens to browns and blacks to some blues. These colors form a very natural and slightly dull environment. The color white usually tends to evoke positive and lively emotions, however in this work, the whites give off a lonely and somber sense. Perhaps this trait is due to the mix of other colors in the white and the fact that the color covers so much of the painting. Van Gogh also used a mix of whites, blues, and greens to paint the sky. These choices give the sky a very interesting and complex coloring that causes the viewer to take a prolonged look. Van Gogh also does a very great job of creating the illusion of depth through techniques such as relative size. Relative size can be seen, for example, in the diminishing size of the wall as it moves from the left side of the painting to the right. A notable principle of design in the painting is balance. The wall displayed in the center of the work, essentially cutting it into two top and bottom halves, creates a very obvious vertical balance. In addition to balance, unity can also be found in the painting. Van Gogh creates unity with the dark and white colors located at opposite ends, seemingly encasing the art and tying everything together. Another important principle of design used in the painting emphasis and focal point. It is clear that the man is the focal point of the painting, however, the man's clothing blends in with the background. This appears to intend a lack of emphasis, colliding the background and foreground together.