The works of Leon Gaspard are richly colored tapestries filled with exotic peoples or snow-filled landscapes. Born in Vitebsk, Russia in March 1882, Gaspard often travelled the Russian countryside with his father as a young boy. His uncle lived in the neighboring village of Smolensk, the setting for New Year's Day Celebration in Smolensk, where Gaspard also visited. He soon left Russia to travel and paint in Paris, Asia, Mongolia and Tibet, and permanently resided in Taos, New Mexico. In 1909, however, he married an American woman and they embarked upon a two year journey travelling the Russian provinces on horseback. It is probable that Gaspard stored the visual materials needed to paint New Year's Day Celebration in Smolensk from both his wedding journey and his childhood adventures with his father. The use of bright, violent colors, juxtaposed amongst throngs of peasants, cause a dramatic but harmonious representation of life in the village of Smolensk and the excitement of a pending celebration.