This watercolour by Robert Newton Hurley, dated 1958, captures the stark poetry of the Prairie winter with a masterful sense of atmosphere and restraint. A vast expanse of snow-covered land stretches toward a cluster of low farm buildings and a grain elevator—tiny anchors of human presence set against an immense, almost overwhelming sky. Hurley lets the sky dominate, sweeping broad horizontal strokes across the page like wind-driven clouds or drifting snow, creating a feeling of endless space and cold air in motion.

Muted blues, greys, and soft ochres wash over the landscape, their transparency giving the scene both immediacy and calm. A line of rural telephone and power poles marches diagonally into the distance, guiding the viewer toward the distant settlement and emphasizing the Prairies’ long sight-lines. Their vertical silhouettes bring structure and rhythm to the otherwise horizontal world, while the faint glow from the small buildings suggests warmth and habitation despite the isolation.

Hurley’s brushwork is spare yet expressive, revealing his ability to suggest depth and movement with minimal means. The result is a quietly dramatic portrayal— a winter scene where wind, cloud, and land dissolve into one continuous, atmospheric sweep, and the presence of man remains small but resilient within it.