Winter Scene on a Canal

Step out onto the frozen canal and you find yourself in the middle of a busy Dutch winter day. Hendrick Avercamp painted this scene around 1615, and he had a real gift for capturing crowds at play. People skate, walk, chat, and gather on the ice while boats sit stranded in the frozen water. On the left, snow-covered cottages and a bare, twisting tree frame the view, with a few birds perched in the branches. The pale sky and soft light give the whole picture a chilly, hushed feeling.

Avercamp was a Dutch artist who specialized almost entirely in winter landscapes, which made him stand out among his peers. He was deaf and unable to speak, and was sometimes known as "the Mute of Kampen" after the town where he lived. Perhaps because of this, he became an especially keen observer, noticing the small human moments that bring his scenes to life. Look closely and you will spot all sorts of details, from elegantly dressed figures to ordinary folk going about their day. These paintings also remind us of the Little Ice Age, a stretch of unusually cold winters in Europe when canals froze solid and ice became a place for everyone to mingle.