In quiet awe: The hunters in the snow

The hunters in the snow (1565)

An outstanding piece of art by the Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the elder (1525/1530-1569).

The rush of nostalgia and its accompanying feelings that filled my being when I first laid eyes on this beauty, is truly indescribable. It perfectly emulates my own experience of playing in the snow as a kid and the long, very cold winters that one had to endure. At first I thought a Scandinavian artist painted this because I was stunned over the details and how he managed to truly encapsulate that Nordic hellish winter that I after all love oh so much.

As part of the Northern Renaissance (in this case the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting), this painting is one part of a collection of paintings that depicts different seasons of the year. As seen, obviously, this depicts the months and periods of December and January.

There is no description of mine that will ever give this painting any form of justice and I am okay with that. Some pieces of pure art don’t necessarily need plenty of words to describe them. Sometimes the lack of words and a face full of pleasant awe is just enough, the same facial expression that I had when I first came across it to the point where I can’t even remember where I saw it.

If you wish to learn more:
Hunters in the Snow: Pieter Bruegel: Great art Explained (video, 16 min 53 sek)
How was this painted 500 years ago? by Inspiraggio (video, 8 min 50 sek)
Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Art History Explained (video, 5 min 57 sek)

Other paintings I’ve written about:
Dante and Virgil
Anguish
René Magritte
Ron Francis
Hellelil and Hildebrand