Tuesday 18 January 2011

OLD MASTERS - A painted winter

Winter
'through the eyes' of OLD MASTERS 

Although there is no snow anymore here.....
but in other parts of the world there certainly is.


When I lived in Hamburg, the very large lake "the Alster"
which is in the center of the city, was sometimes completely frozen over.
 

From my apartment I could walk down to the lake in less than 5 minutes
to enjoy all the activities going on.
Meeting friends, watching all the ice skaters 
and walking from one side of the lake to the other.



 
"The Alster", Hamburg around 1900
(www.bildarchiv-hamburg.de)


When I look these Old Master paintings
it brings back to me my time in Hamburg.

Although - we certainly were dressed in a somewhat different way!

Adam Van Breen, The Hague 1590 - 1645

'Winter Landscape with Skating Scene'
(Private collection, Belgium)
   

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Adam Van Breen

'Winter Landscape with Elegant Skaters'


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Adam Van Breen (Gemaeldegalerie Berlin)


Adam Van Breen


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Hendrick Avercamp
born 1585 - May 15 in Amsterdam

Dutch painter, active in Kampen, 
the most famous exponent of the winter landscape.
He was deaf and dumb and known
as "de Stomme van Kampen"  - the mute of Kampen.


'A Scene on the Ice', Teylers Museum, Haarlem

As one of the first landscape painters of the 17th-century Dutch school,
Avercamp links the archaic decorative conseption of Flemish origins and 
the new realist and objective ambitions  developped
in Holland by Essaias van de Velde and Jan van Goyen.
His paintings are colorful and lively, with carefully observed skaters,
tobogganers, golfers, and pedestrians.




Avercamp's work enjoyed great popularity and he sold his drawings,
many of which are tinted with water-color, as finished pictures
to be pasted into the albums of collectors.



(An outstanding collection is at Windsor Castle, England)

'A Scene on the Ice near a Town' - 1610
National Gallery, London

Hendrick Avercamp died 1634 in Kampen, the Netherlands
and was interred in the Sint Nicolaaskerk in Kampen.


Book available at amazon

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and last another Flemish painter:

Pieter van Maes

Rotterdam, second half 17th-century

(he was last mentioned in 1703, valuing an estate in Den Haag)


10 comments:

  1. Wow, great paintings! Really beautiful and fun seeing how they're dressed. Nope we definitely don't dress like that for the winter here I couldn't snow blow with that kind of bulk. Thanks for sharing!

    Debra,

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  2. Hello Karin,
    these paintings and drawings are beautiful-very interesting facts you shared with us and making me look at the style through different eyes. xo Colette ~Afrique du Sud

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  3. Diese Bilder erzählen so viel über das Leben in ihrer Zeit.

    Ich mag diese Art von Bildern sehr gerne. Sie übersetzen Geschichte für Kinder (und Erwachsene).

    Danke auch für deine Kommentare hier wie dort.

    Herzlicher Gruß!
    *Tasiaa

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  4. Dear Karin, This is a wonderful collection of fine paintings. Do people still ice skate in Europe? Sometimes we get out the music box and skate our pond to the Ice Skaters Waltz.

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  5. Yes Gina, in Germany people still ice skate! In other parts of Europe? Don't really know.

    It must be wonderful skating a waltz on your pond!

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  6. Dear Debra,
    Thanks for your lovely comment.
    I think that some of the dresses would be suitable for your wonderful collection of Antique fabrics! Or????
    Greetings - Karin

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  7. So thoughtful of you to visit and leave such and endearing comment.

    I just love history and know some of the art you posted well!!

    A beautiful posting Karin.
    Now where do you live exactly??

    Love that we have a new bloggy friendship :)
    see you soon
    Keep inspiring beauty.
    xo
    Dore'

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  8. Hello Dore,

    I'm living in the "old province" Périgord, since Napoleon the Departement Dordogne, in South-West of France. About 120 km north-east of Bordeaux, and 500 km south of Paris.
    Does that give you an idea??

    Thank you very much for your positive comment and I will certainly visit your blog regularly.

    Greetings - Karin

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  9. Karin,
    Oh I so love these old masters! What a great post! Your blog is so inspiring! Thank you so much!
    xx
    Greet

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete