Winter Scene in Holland 1865

Johan Barthold Jongkind made this small oil on canvas called "Winter Scene in Holland". Jongkind, a Dutchman, was a key forerunner to the Impressionist movement, a radical group of artists who sought to represent modern life. Here, the dark windmills punctuate the low horizon line. The figures on the ice are more than picturesque details: windmills were vital infrastructure, grinding grain and draining the low-lying landscape, and skating was a popular leisure activity, so the painting touches on both work and play. The scene is captured with loose brushstrokes and subtle gradations of light, giving the painting an immediacy which departs from the formality of academic painting and history painting. Artists no longer felt obliged to represent grand historical or mythological scenes. Instead, painters like Jongkind chose to depict everyday life. To understand the painting better, research might focus on 19th century Dutch landscape painting, the history of the windmill, or the rise of new leisure activities.