In the 1890s, he finally moved to Paris. Here, the acquaintance with French art helped him to form his own style. Under the influence of French realists, primarily Bastien-Lepage, Thaulow took an interest in the realist tradition and became a notable figure in this trend in painting. The discoveries made by impressionists also played a role in his works. He brought fundamentally new features to the interpretation of Norwegian landscapes. He was especially precise in his painting of winter motifs with the image of melting snow and splashes of light reflecting in the water.

In his pastel painting “A Mountain Stream”, Thaulow accurately conveys the effect of a clear winter sky with the season’s characteristic light, the sparkling white snow, and the dark surface of a river with trees reflecting on it. Although he uses the achievements of French artists, Thaulow gives his landscape a very definite national flavor. Here, he combines realist, impressionist, and symbolist trends. The artist turned to the motif of falling snow many times and created several versions of such a landscape, which became very popular among his contemporaries.