Ice and snow: that’s what most of us are experiencing lately. Certainly Bowie, Texas is iced in. Everything is closed down that can be, and only a few brave (or foolhardy) souls are sliding down the roads.

Yet, as mean as this weather is, I love the light that even a small skiff of snow brings to our winter browns and greys. Our house has many windows, so the icy stretches of pasture beam beauty into every room.

Insofar as the arts, snow and frost are great inspirers of creativity. With music, snow can be challenging to present, but composers still try! There are wonderful scenes in opera where a blustery storm sets up the action (the snappy opening to Samuel Barber’s Vanessa). And there are plenty of songs about winter and snow. Plus, one of the groundbreaking vocal works of the 19th century was a cycle of songs called Winterreise (The Winter Journey). It’s a somber story, composed by a young Franz Schubert in 1828, the last year of his short life, setting poems by the German master Wilhelm Müller.

Even short pieces for the piano can depict the snow. What could be more descriptive than “The Snow is Dancing” from Claude Debussy’s precious set of pieces called The Children’s Corner? Peter Tchaikovsky named his first symphony “Winter Dreams” (Зимние грёзы). It’s a delightful symphony that would sound equally wonderful if it were named “Summer Dreams.” Still, what is more Russian than the drama of frost and snow? 

For paintings, of course, there are endless choices. The canvases of Józef Chełmoński, a Polish artist, have become recent favorites of mine. You won’t have to go far to find villages covered in snow or horses flying across icy pastures. You might especially like his stark but endearing Partridges in the Snow.

But my absolute favorite snow paintings are by the Polish painter Julian Fałat (above). Here, the white blazes with so many colors, the eyes are dazzled. The icy water cutting through the snow makes us shiver.

Ice and snow. Miserable to live with, but great for Art.