Hunters in the Snow, by Pieter Bruegel

As I look out my window I see a dark winter afternoon. Dark as it is, there is no snow and the temperature has not yet dropped to its bone chilling winter potential. But soon enough the landscape will once again be covered in snow. And as the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even, I'll be forced to come about and gather winter fuel. Then I can warm my bones by the fire.

I love looking at wintry snowscapes in artwork. As long as I'm indoors I can find comfort knowing that I'm warm and out of the cruel elements. The same is true when reading poetry such as "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. When reading the poem you get to visualize the soft snowflakes drifting down, and the quiet forest. I do remember some good illustrations of that poem as well.

One of my favorite winter scenes is "Hunters In The Snow" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, as seen above. It was painted in the 16th century and depicting a time when the winters were quite rough for the poor. You can see a fire off to left and some peasants gathering around. The bare trees offer their sticks to contrast against the cold sky. Down below the frozen pond keeps the children busy with games and skating, with the adults going about daily activity in the village as best they can. Look closely at the water mill with the icicles. Off into the distance are icy mountains, with the threat of more snow no doubt nearby.

This was painted as part of a seasons series and is probably the most popular. The series most likely consisted of six panels, though only five survive. I had the opportunity to see "Harvesters" in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The "Harvesters" is as hot as "Hunters" is cold, showing the peasants in the foreground of a wheat field practically passing out from the heat.

One of his other chillier paintings include "Census At Bethlehem," which also consists of a village hustling and bustling in the cold air, with peasants taking advantage of the frozen pond carrying materials across town. The foreground is loaded with activity on the left with a crowd of people huddled toward the entrance to a building as if to feel what little heat they can get from inside and get out of the chill.

A good snowy depiction is "The Adoration of The Magi." You can't help but feel a little cold just looking at the snow falling. The painting shows the snowy Flemish village bustling with daily activity with the Magi merely there as extras, barely the center of attention of the painting.

Bruegel certainly had a talent for accurately portraying seasons. Of course he was great at portraying all kinds of things, but mostly involving Flemish peasant life. His sons Pieter Brughel the Younger, and Jan Brughel The Elder, and grandson Jan Bruegel the Younger would follow in the elder Brughel's footsteps and also have prolific careers as painters.