During the past two winters I traveled north to photograph bare trees. I am inclined toward naked branches rather than limbs dressed in summer foliage. I like to see the structure of things, the patterns of the natural world, which seem endlessly surprising and worthy to contemplate. I took the photograph above at The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. I love the way the artist rendered those trees. He is known as “The Master of Winter Landscapes,” from the Low Countries and active in the early 1600s. His identity is uncertain, except as you are able to see the character of the artist in this painting.