Can you believe we’re halfway through our Culture Tourist Art Blogmas?
I hope you’re enjoying discovering some winter-inspired art so far. Today, I’m sharing one of the very early examples of that genre, painted back in the 16th century – Lucan van Valckenborch’s Winter Landscape with Snow near Antwerp.
Art Blogmas 2022
Belgian painter Lucas van Valckenborch was quite an essential artist in developing the landscape, especially the winter landscape genre. Before him, winter scenes were only a part of the calendar cycles in art, like in the example you could see in our Art Blogmas on day nine.
⤷ Read more: Jan van Eyck at MSK in Ghent
Lucas van Valckenborch: Winter Landscape with Snow near Antwerp
With his pastel and light colours, especially light blue, Lucas van Valckenborch’s painting looks more like an illustration. However, he’s not making it a dreamy fairytale as Claude Monet did on one of his winter landscapes we saw at our Art Blogmas yesterday.
Quite the contrary, he includes numerous details in his painting. Each group of passers-by are involved in a different story. From the group of people warming their hands next to the fire to the group of boys occupied by a game that looks like ice hockey.
⤷ Read more: Best weekend trips to Flanders
He captured just a glimpse of a winter day, with people busy doing their things. However, the painter included a bit of drama by showing one of the houses caught in a fire. We can imagine the scene will soon change, with people hurrying to dampen down the fire.
Lucas van Valckenborch’s depiction of snowflakes is among the most beautiful ones we have seen in our Art Blogmas. Little dots of white colour give this painting something so decorative.
If you don’t want to miss other paintings I will share with you in this year’s Art Blogmas, be sure to check in here tomorrow morning. Or, follow along on the Culture Tourist Facebook page and Instagram profile.