Today marks the official start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, otherwise known as the Winter Solstice. Or, if you prefer, the most wonderful time of the year. 'Tis the season of rosy cheeks, icy sidewalks and hot chocolate, all the makings of a spectacular Bing Crosby holiday movie.
But winter would not be winter without its pièce de résistance -- snow. To help you get in the spirit of the winter solstice, we've put together a list of the best winter wonderland scenes in art. From Edvard Munch's powdered avenues to Wassily Kandinsky's multicolored blizzard landscapes, scroll through the images below to get a taste of the snow falls to come. And let us know which wintery scene is your favorite in the comments.
1. Pieter Bruegel the Elder's "The Hunters in the Snow": Flemish landscapes are lovely this time of the year, don't you agree?
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, "The Hunters in the Snow," 1565. Oil on, 117 cm × 162 cm (46 in × 63¾ in). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria (Wikipedia)
2. Utagawa Hiroshige's "Night Snow at Kambara": Your walk to work is nothing compared to this snowy jaunt in Kambara.
Utagawa Hiroshige, "Night Snow at Kambara," 1833 (Wikipedia)
3. Grant Wood's "January": Ominous footprints and all.
January, oil on Masonite painting by Grant Wood, 1940-41, Cleveland Museum of Art (Wikimedia)
4. Edvard Munch's "New Snow in the Avenue": No need to scream in this snowy painting.
Edvard Munch, "New Snow in the Avenue," 1906, Munch Museum, © Munch Museum/Munch-EllingsendGroup/DACS 2012
5. Camille Pissarro's "Road to Versailles at Louveciennes (The Snow Effect)": Pissarro painted the road to Versailles in various seasons, but we love the crisp white brushstrokes of winter the best.
Camille Pissarro, "Road to Versailles at Louveciennes (The Snow Effect)," 1869, oil on canvas, 38.4 × 46.3 cm (15.1 × 18.2 in) (Wikimedia)
6. Limbourg Brothers' "Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry": Here are the Limbourg brothers letting us know that by the time you hit February, you are in the thick of snowmageddon season.
Limbourg brothers, "Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Folio 2, verso February," between 1412 and 1416, illumination on vellum, 22.5 cm (8.9 in). Width: 13.6 cm (5.4 in), Musée Condé (Wikimedia)
7. Vincent van Gogh's "Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow)": A spattering of snow from van Gogh.
Vincent van Gogh, "Winter (De tuin van de Vicaris onder sneeuw)," January 1885 (Wikimedia)
8. Wassily Kandinsky's "Winter Landscape": We like this depiction of snow -- notice there's hardly any white paint to be seen?
Wassily Kandinsky, "Winter Landscape," 1909, oil on cardboard, 75.5 x 97.5 cm, The State Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg, Russia (Wikimedia)
9. Claude Monet's "The Magpie": Fifty shades of white.
Claude Monet, "The Magpie," Musée d'Orsay (Wikimedia)
10. Ivan Shishkin's "In the Wild North": The Griswold family Christmas tree, courtesy of Ivan Shishkin.
Ivan Shishkin, "In the Wild North," 1891, oil on canvas, 161 cm (63.4 in) x118 cm (46.5 in), Museum of Russian Art in Kiev (Wikimedia)
11. Alexander Calder's "Snow Flurry": Does Calder's mobile remind you of falling snow?
Alexander Calder, "Snow Flurry," 1950, painted sheet metal and wire, 60 x 84 in. (152.4 x 213.4 cm.) (AP Photo/David Goldman)
12. Winslow Homer's "Below Zero": The snowshoes are off.
Winslow Homer, "Below Zero," 1894 (Wikimedia)
13. Caspar David Friedrich "Winter Landscape with Church": A very German winter.
Caspar David Friedrich, "Winter Landscape with church," 1811, oil on canvas, 32.5 × 45 cm (12.8 × 17.7 in), National Gallery (Wikimedia)
14. Peter Doig's "Reflection (What does your soul look like)": We could admire Peter Doig's wintery reflection all day long.
Peter Doig, "Reflection (What does your soul look like)," 1996 (Getty)
15. Pan Gongkai's "Snow Melting in Lotus": A solemn snow installation.
"Snow Melting in Lotus," Pan Gongkai (Marco Secchi/Getty Images)
16. Hayami Gyoshū's Snow: Simple yet beautiful.
Hayami Gyoshū, 1930 (Wikimedia)
17. Alexander Semionov's "Old Ladoga, Towards Spring": Winter in pastel.
Alexander Semionov, "Старая Ладога. К весне," 1972 (Wikimedia)
18. Thomas Kinkade's "Christmas in New York": It wouldn't be a winter wonderland listicle without at least one kitschy Kinkade, now would it?
Thomas Kinkade, "Christmas in New York," 2008 (AP)
19. BONUS Bob Ross: And the best renderer of winter is...