Known as the ‘Mute of Kampen,’ Hendrick Avercamp was a non-verbal artist of the late sixteenth-early seventeenth century who specialised in writing winter scenes. His depictions of the Dutch winter have been highly appraised by patriots because they realistically depicted the daily living of the newly-created Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Born deaf and mute, Avercamp was a natural observer from a very young age, which allowed him to later create intricate compositions that show the vast array of activities in which the Dutch liked to engage, from children ice skating to women trying to wash clothing in frozen water.
The painter had a distinctive style, which can be characterised by high horizon lines, a vividly natural colour palette, as well as compositions full of narrative vignettes with large numbers of different components. Looking at a winter landscape by Avercamp, one may not instantly notice the small little details and the characterisation of the people; however, upon a closer look, one can distinguish between numerous characters that are preoccupied with their own activities.
Much of the painter’s life circumstances remain unknown, which makes him more interesting and enigmatic. The problem of the lack of documentation is associated with the fact that the researchers of that time did not make systematic use of archival material, and only began such documentation in the late nineteenth century when there were some attempts to explore the life of the painter.
The scholars studying Avercamp’s life in Kampen made assumptions based on the information available from his relatives or distant friends, thus making the biographic information incomplete. While historian Jurgen Nanninga Uitterdijk documented some of the accounts of the painter’s life in Kampen, the details of his birth and death remained a mystery. A detailed report of Hendrick Avercamp’s training as an artist cannot also be provided. It was presumed that he received several lessons from a local painter, which facilitated his further practice and apprenticeships in Amsterdam.
It has been suggested that probably, Avercamp lived with Pieter Isaacsz, a Danish portrait painter, in Amsterdam where he was receiving training. There is some compelling evidence to suggest that Isaacsz was connected to Avercamp, as seen in the former’s ownership of some of the latter’s works. Besides, Amsterdam was a logical place for Avercamp to proceed with his training, not only due to the increased concentration of renowned artists in the city but also because he had some family living there.
In addition, there were some accounts of a close friend of both artists organising the apprenticeship, thus adding to the circumstantial evidence of a ‘Mute at Pieter Isaacsz’ visiting often. Nevertheless, the majority of the accounts lack substantial factual support, which makes the life of Avercamp an enigma.
Notwithstanding the challenges associated with documenting the accounts regarding Avercamp’s life and career, the artist’s biography matters less as compared to the significant contribution that he had made to the global history of art. His mastery in painting winter scenes was instrumental in depicting not only the routing of the time but also the overall mood and attitude.
His pictures are unique in their juxtaposition between the panoramic view of the landscape with the focus on small anecdotal details that give paintings their character. The specific type of a winter scene that Avercamp favoured could be traced back to Peter Bruegel the Elder and his Winter Landscape with Bird-Trap as well as David Vickboon’s compositions. While such influences are important for the painter, he did manage to develop the subject matter into something that is unique to his own works.
For the Dutch, the smooth ice of a frozen canal or river has always been a source of pleasure, even today. The sense of freedom and the uplifted spirit that ice skating provided created a winter time’s holiday atmosphere. Through the ice, everyone came together, the young and the old, as well as the rich and the poor. In the winter, the upper class was enjoying nature in their beautifully-made sleights drawn by their horses. For the young, the ice in the winter was the opportunity to skate and go on dates with their loved ones and hold hands on the ice rink. For others, ice offered a chance to engage in the game of kolf, ice fish, or just observe others enjoying the shared winter experience.
Even though the days in the winter spent on the ice in the seventeenth century were not always as effortless as described previously, both the literature and pictorial accounts of the traditions do not offer for any other interpretation. Besides, Hendrick Avercamp’s idyllic images of the winter align with the provided description.
In numerous winter landscapes created by the painter, there are depictions of countrymen skating in the ice, sleighing in the snow, talking, or quietly observing the wide expanse of smooth ice of the Dutch waterway. A Scene on the Ice is an example of Avercamp’s skills of showing the idyllic depiction of winter in the Netherlands. One can see people from all social strata involved in different kinds of activities one could imagine.
There is a large expanse of ice stretching from the foreground into the background of the painting, which creates a sense of depth. Some of the people in the village skate around and play kolf while others pursue everyday activities. The air is hazy, probably due to the humidity over the stretch of ice, which makes both the ice rink and the sky the same color.
To the left, one can see a windmill in the distance that looks that it is protruding its tips into the deeply-laying stratus of the clouds above. To the painting’s right, Avercamp depicts a kolf player, standing with his club, getting ready to hit the ball. By showing kolf players and their spectators, the artist created the atmosphere of the viewer also being on the ice too and part of the winter scene.
It is important to note that while optimism is a prevailing mood of the scenes on the ice painted by Avercamp, there is still a diversity of the figures, intended to show both the positive and negative contrasts in the town. While there are many young and happy young people skating around the ice, there are also ‘rough’-looking persons that look not so thrilled with the overwhelming swarm of happiness. This contrast is then juxtaposed to the peaceful beauty of nature in winter, which adds to the complexity of the seemingly serene landscape.
Considering the influences that shaped Avercamp’s approach toward winter landscapes, the uniqueness of his works lies in the attention that he gave to the individuality of figures in his scenes as well as their dominance over any other details of the composition. Such characteristics are especially evident in A Scene on the Ice, in which the elements of the landscape are rendered schematically. At the same time, the difference in people’s individuality or social class is emphasised by their costumes, activities, and attitudes.
Upon the closer analysis of different figures present in the painting, several different vignettes can be identified. For example, one can see middle-class burghers standing and watching the gliding horse-drawn sleighs, friends staking in tandem, or a family who looks like they are from the working-class unloading barrels from a sledge.
Weather is an important component of A Scene on the Ice and other Avercamp’s winter landscapes that helps create a particular atmosphere. In most of the paintings, the winter skies are uniform in colour, sometimes having a grey or beige undertone as the Dutch are used to seeing them in the winter. The uniformity of the skies is a vital detail because it helps to determine whether the weather situation in winter will be stable overall, with low wind speed.
One can assume that historically, Avercamp experienced the deteriorating climate conditions associated with the Little Ice Age characterised by a sharp blowing wind, which would prevent villagers from enjoying winter weather, including afternoon skating or playing kolf. With air humidity being high over the vast areas of cold water and ice, the wind-chill would be the main reason for an uncomfortable environment for engaging in outdoor activities and compel people to stay at home. Therefore, it is not surprising that Avercamp painted the images of winter in calm weather and with low winds because it was the most favourable for people to go out and spend some time outside.
To conclude, Avercamp’s illustrations of winter for the purpose of making arguments about abstract philosophical concepts, such as those related to the four seasons and what they represent. On the contrary, he drew immense satisfaction from capturing different social interactions between people when they gather together to share outdoor activities in the pleasures of the ice. Therefore, the interpretation of the artist’s works may seem more simplistic than initially imagined, but sometimes a winter scene is just a winter scene as it is in real life – full of different interactions that characterise a particular social environment in which there is a place for laughter, play, work, but also some misery.
Bibliography
Bikker, Jonathan. “The Mute of Kampen.” In Hendrick Avercamp: Master of the Ice Scene, edited by Pieter Roelofs, 11-21. Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum, 2010.
de Kraker, Adriaan. “The Little Ice Age: Harsh Winters between 1550 and 1650.” In Hendrick Avercamp: Master of the Ice Scene, edited by Pieter Roelofs, 23-29. Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum, 2010.
National Gallery of Art. “Hendrick Avercamp 1585-1634.” NGA. Web.