The artwork “Winter Landscape with a Hunter Shooting Duck at the Edge of a Frozen Waterway,” also known as “Winter Landscape with a Duck Hunter,” is an oil painting created by the Dutch artist Hendrick Avercamp in 1634. This painting exemplifies the Baroque period’s style and is a combination of landscape and genre painting. It measures modestly at 31.3 x 23 cm.
The painting depicts a vast, panoramic winter scene bustling with activity. In the foreground, a hunter, dressed in black with broad hat, is crouched and aiming his long-barreled musket across the ice. He appears to be targeting a waterfowl just taking flight. Beside him, a loyal dog keenly observes the action, adding to the narrative of a hunting scene. In the background, the frozen waterway is teeming with figures engaging in various winter activities, likely ice skating and playing games. Some individuals are seen in pairs, while others gather in small groups. The distant horizon features faint architectural elements, hinting at a nearby settlement or city, with a solitary bird soaring high near a landmark pole equipped with a basin or similar object at the top, standing as a focal point in the composition. The overall atmosphere evokes the stark chill of winter, with the subtle application of color hinting at the cold temperature and contributing to the stillness and quietude of a winter’s day.
