Brother-in-law of Paul Gauguin and cousin of Edvard Munch, Thaulow merged the pure colors and plein-air technique of French Impressionism with his early training as a realist marine painter. Although celebrated in his native Norway, Thaulow spent much of his life in France. He encouraged his friend Claude Monet to visit Norway, where the two artists painted snowy landscapes together in the winter of 1895.