Saturday, November 3, 2012

'The Hunters in the Snow'



Winter has come. Snow fell and melted. Slush, air is moist. Darkness is longer and too early in the evening. And how had been winter 550 years ago? 

                                                         
 The famous Dutch artist Pieter Brueghel (1526 -1569) showed winter in his painting ‘The Hunters in the Snow’


 I love watching how fun winter days were 550 years ago. People went to ice fishing, skated on the frozen lake. 


  They went to the church too in Sunday morning.


and drove in a sleigh for some wood and food, they stoked ovens to warm their houses.


  and they went to hunt to feed their families


The photo 'The Hunters in the Snow' was taken by me in the Kunsthistorischen Museums, Vienna.
Sept 2012


28 comments:

  1. No snow for us yet, but it will be here soon. Very interesting pictures from long ago. Thanks for stopping by my site and taking time to leave a comment.

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    1. We had snow but it melted now. Thank you for the comment!

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  2. I love how you have focused in on each little scene within the larger picture. You show us what is going on in detail. It is a moody, dark, wintery painting, but in all the details there is life and activity and warmth!

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    1. Laurrie, I was lucky to find this interesting painting in Kunsthistorischen Museums because I love Brueghel and haven't seen his paintings here. Thank you, Laurrie!

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  3. Those paintings are nice to see, because they have so many details. The atmosphere is so cozy. I have never been in Vienna. It must be a great city to see!

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    1. Thank you, Satu! I hope the next year you would visit Vienna. I liked your paintings too.

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  4. A really great post Nadezda, the pictures are amazing, showing you what people used to do.

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    1. Thank you, Karen! Although Brueghel painted 550 years ago, people also go ice fishing and skating in winter time.

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  5. Welcome Nadezdo!
    Winter is always winter.
    Now people live better.
    They are warm, it is light, they have cars, airplanes ..
    Picture of a very interesting and beautiful.
    Kisses

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    1. Yes, we have more and live more comfortable. Therefore is interesting to see those paintings. Thank you, Lucia!

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  6. Do you have snow already Nadezda? Lovely image from the museum but the real thing ca be less lovely. Christina

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    1. The snow melted, often raining. It's badly for the plants, if temps drop they can be frozen. The real thing is complicated. Thank you, Christina!

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  7. What an interesting painting. I think I could look at it forever and not see all the details in it. I kept going back and forth between your photos, trying to place the painting as a whole in my mind. Interesting that so much was going on all those many years ago.

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    1. Holley, I love Brueghel's painting too; you could see it whole here:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunters_in_the_Snow
      It's more interesting if you watch its details. I was lucky to take photo in that museum because most of them don't permit to do photos. Thank you!

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  8. The painting is starkly beautiful but I prefer a warmer, more stable life. We can never count on having snow here. Sometimes we do, but often we don't. My garden often seems happier after a cold, snowy winter.

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    1. Tammy, me too, prefer warm weather!Some plants need a little cold in winter. I have a lot of work covering my plants for wintering.Thank you!

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  9. Interesting pictures from Pieter Breugel! I like this. groet, Diny

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    1. Thank you, Diny! I'm glad you liked the painting!

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  10. This is a beautiful painting that reminds me of when I lived in Alaska where snow covered everything and the freezing temperatures lasted for months. It was 66 degress F. here yesterday!

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    1. It's fine a warm temperature! We here have 5 winter months, fortunately snow falls at the mid-December. As in Alaska, I think. Thank you!

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  11. Such beautiful paintings get me ready for the snow that is soon to fall! They capture everything there is to love about this season. But I definitely like the warm, light, waterproof boots, gloves and coats that we have today.

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    1. I guess Canadian winter is shorter than Russian. Now snow has melted and sometimes seems to be in spring with +5-9 C. The real frost will come later, and I want it would not be very cold winter.
      Thank you, Rosemary!

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  12. I might be staying in this place 550 years back.

    But memory has been erased then.

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    1. The memory is very strange thing... Thank you for stopping by!

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  13. I have just had a lovely browse around your blog... many thanks for sharing.

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  14. Beautiful paintings! But I don't think I'd really like to step back 550 years...I can only imagine what a struggle it was for many to stay warm through the winter back then.

    Thanks for visiting me, Nadezda--I enjoyed visiting St. Petersburg!

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    1. Rose, it's a surprise for me - you've been to my city! Thank you for stopping by!

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