Perhaps it should come as no surprise that we in the Northern Hemisphere are so accustomed to complaining about winter with its naked trees, long nights, and freezing temperatures. But winter is also a good time to relax and take stock, as author Katherine May notes in her 2020 book Wintering. Her words, “Winter offers us liminal spaces to inhabit,” She contends that its “starkness” “can reveal colors that we would otherwise miss” and re-sensitizes us.
Finland’s Alteneum Art Museum and National Gallery Helmi Biese’s View from Pyynikki Ridge (1900) shows the Finnish boreal woodland from above.
Making peace with winter is essential for Nordic nations, since the season can extend beyond six months in some areas.
