Hendrick van Avercamp

Happy Birthday Hendrick van Avercamp! Dutch painter born in 1585, in Amsterdam, van Avercamp was deaf and mute. He painted wonderfully intricate, colorful ice scenes, studying first under portrait painter, Pieter Isaacks. His winter landscapes are spotted with busy people in various activities: skating, sledding, and walking. His perspective is crude with high horizon lines, leaving plenty of foreground for his figures. Delicate tree branches weave a web across the overcast skies. His style is unique as he led a solitary life, alone in his painting. The Winter Landscape, below, is a prime example of the bustling feel of van Avercamp’s work.