Joost Cornelisz. Droochsloot, Wintergezicht. 1620s

English, Nederlands

English

Utrecht Winter View, 1620s, by Joost Cornelisz. Droochsloot (1586 - 1666)

The daily life of ordinary people was always a focus of attention for Dutch artists. In winter the water in the canals froze and traders exchanged their boats for sledges; townspeople put on skates and children lit bonfires directly in the street so as to warm themselves. Here we have a typical mid-17th-century town meticulously recreated by the brush of Joost Droochsloot. If you look closely you can make out details of the clothing of peasants and townsfolk who have come outside in the good weather – the style of the hats, the stains on the housewives’ aprons. A wealthy burgher is holding the hand of a lady in a dark blue dress and black cap. They seem to have met again after a long time apart. The figure of the man in red is the compositional centre, from which the attentive gaze shifts to the elements of the setting, pausing in turn on the town walls, the motionless sails of the windmills, the stunted trunks of the trees and so on. The bright high frosty sky is presented with astonishing realism. The harmony of proportions in the composition is striking too, given the abundance of little details and the small size of the canvas. All these subtleties and the marvellous sense of mood that the artist conveys to us down through the centuries create a feeling of actual participation in the life of Holland at that time. This painting can certainly be ranked among the most memorable masterpieces in the Hermitage’s collection of Small Dutch Masters.

Oil on panel. 50.5 x 74.5 cm

The State Hermitage Museum (ГЭ-700). Entered the Hermitage before 1797; formerly in the collection of Catherine the Great

Source: Do Smit

Nederlands

Een van de paar wintergezichten van de Utrechtse schilder Joost Cornelisz. Droochsloot (1585/1586 - 1666). Een jeugdige ijscolver zien we in het midden van het schilderij, rechts van de schaatser met het rode jasje.

Olieverf op paneel. 51 x 75 cm

Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Bron: Do Smit