In this Caspar David Friedrich painting, a man lies against a large boulder in a vast, snow covered field. He has cast aside his crutches and uses his free hands to pray, asking, presumably, for the deliverance an arduous winter demands from its captives. Psychologically and spiritually tense, the scene still reverberates with the possibility of relief, a distant cathedral gesturing toward warmth, endurance, and eventual salvation. Send to the person who needs a little encouragement to make it through the winter months, hoping they can keep their resolutions, or at least keep it together, through February.

Courtesy of The National Gallery, London Main Collection