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Snow in County Down
Snow in County Down

Snow in County Down

Artist (1878 - 1964)
Datec. 1937
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions50.5 x 60 cm
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by the Thomas Haverty Trust, 1945. © The Estate of Letitia Marion Hamilton.
Object number986
Description'Snow in County Down' is an example of the artist's mature style which reflects her interest in the painterly concerns of contemporary French painting. A painting wonderfully evocative of the winter season, it exudes a sense of mystery and wonder. The wooded landscape is heavily spread with a thick blanket of snow, which the artist has accurately depicted, by her abundant and expressive use of paint. Caught in the light of the winter sun, the snow is tinged throughout with hues of icy blues and pinks which illustrate how successfully the artist assimilated aspects of Impressionism in her work. This is one of several works in the Collection by Letitia Hamilton and it is a mark of her standing as a painter in Ireland at the time that it was purchased from her by the charitable Haverty Trust set up in 1930 to acquire works of the art by contemporary artists for presentation to public institutions.

(Extract from 'Images and Insights', Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin, 1993, p. 92)

LETITIA HAMILTON
b. Co. Meath 1877 d. Dublin 1964

Snow in County Down c. 1937

Oil on canvas, 50.5 x 60 cm
Presented by the Thomas Haverty Trust, 1945

Letitia Hamilton studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art under William Orpen and in Belgium under Frank Brangwyn. Early in her career she developed a personal style characterised by vibrant brushwork and the use of thick impasto. The dominant themes in her painting were hunting scenes and landscapes. Snow in County Down is an example of her mature style which reflects her interest in the painterly concerns of contemporary French painting. The artist has depicted the thick blanket of snow with an abundant and expressive use of paint. The snow is tinged with hues of icy blues and pinks and illustrates the success with which the artist assimilated aspects of Impressionism in her work.

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