Kristján H. Magnússon was among the most notable artists of the Icelandic nation in the first part of the 20th century— but for decades, he has received almost no attention. Unlike most other Icelanders of his time, he studied at an art school in the United States, and became the first Icelandic artist to hold solo exhibitions in major foreign cities. Kristján was an innovator in Icelandic landscape painting in the way that he purposefully interpreted the land in its winter attire.