When Claude Monet arrived in Norway in early 1895, he was greeted by one of the harshest winters the region had seen in years. It was during this extraordinary season that he painted Le Mont Kolsaas, Norvège (Tempête de neige), capturing a rare moment when a violent snowstorm swept across the landscape. The painting stands out among Monet’s Norwegian series, not only for its dramatic weather but also because it marks one of the few times he ventured so far north, braving conditions that tested both his endurance and his palette.

The resulting canvas is a testament to Monet’s fascination with the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, now set against the unfamiliar, icy drama of Scandinavia. The scene Monet chose to immortalize is one of nature at its most unpredictable: a snowstorm enveloping Mount Kolsaas, its jagged silhouette barely visible through the swirling white. Heavy, impasto brushstrokes evoke the whipping wind and dense snowfall, while the mountain’s dark form anchors the composition in a sea of shifting greys and blues. Unlike his sunlit haystacks or serene water lilies, here Monet confronts chaos, painting not just what he saw but what he felt in the storm’s presence.

The immediacy of his technique recalls the energy of J.M.W. Turner’s storm scenes, yet Monet’s focus remains on the fleeting interplay between land, weather, and light—an Impressionist’s response to the Nordic winter. The precise medium Monet used for Le Mont Kolsaas, Norvège (Tempête de neige) is not always specified, though oil on canvas is most likely given his practice at the time. The painting forms part of a small group of Norwegian landscapes, produced during a visit to see his stepson in Christiania (now Oslo).

While not as widely exhibited or reproduced as his French works, these Norwegian canvases have gained appreciation for their boldness and rarity. Today, Le Mont Kolsaas, Norvège (Tempête de neige) is held in a private collection, and its appearances at public exhibitions are infrequent, making it a sought-after glimpse into Monet’s adventurous spirit and the breadth of his Impressionist vision.