George Durrie (Connecticut, 1820 - 1863) Oil on canvas laid on board painting of a winter vista with figures. Signed and dated lower left. Sight Size: 17 x 29 in. Overall Size: 25 x 37 in. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, George Durrie was known as the "snowman" because of the many winter scenes he painted. He lived most of his life in New Haven and earned a reputation for rural landscape scenes, especially snow scenes, which he introduced as subject matter in American painting. He began the study of art in New Haven in 1839 with portraitist Nathaniel Jocelyn, and traveled about the Connecticut and New Jersey countryside filling commissions. He also painted still lifes, genre, and scenes from Shakespeare. He is credited with making the discovery that farm landscape scenes are more appealing when they appear to be covered with snow, hence the introduction of the "snowscene" into American painting. His paintings emphasized bleak, snowy wintry scenes of New England.