Griboedova kanal. Winter

A large bare tree dominates the foreground, its trunk rising against a pale sky; snow lies on the embankment path and iron railing at left, where the canal runs. A row of tall townhouses in ochre, brick-red, pale green and cream recedes along the street to the right, their ground floors lined with shopfronts, while small figures and a cart move along the snowy roadway.

Soft grays and off-whites of snow and sky set off warm ochre, brick-red and pale-green facades. Even, overcast daylight leaves few shadows; quick, loose brushwork typical of plein-air sketching captures the damp chill of a city winter afternoon.