I love this painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. I was amazed to discover that it was painted so long ago, 1565 – as it seems quite modern to me, it must be something to do with the clean, crisp quality of it. The original is in Vienna. I first came across Hunters in the Snow about 30 years ago when a friend sent me it as a Christmas card and I managed to find a framed print of it not long afterwards. However it was one of the things which disappeared during our last removal to this house 24 years or so ago. Things always seem to go missing when we move and we moved around the country a lot before we got here.
I haven’t replaced it in all these years but I’ll really have to get around to it, or maybe I should leave it until after we downsize, just in case another removal man takes a fancy to it.
I love just about everything about it. Click on it to enlarge it and you’ll see the smaller details. I love the trees and the snow, mountains, dogs, skaters, curlers, the church in the distance, the birds, the person carrying wood for a fire across the bridge and especially the sign which is on the left hand side and is dangling lop-sided in the wind. I can just about hear it squeaking and creaking and I can almost smell the snow and the fire. I have a very eclectic taste in Art. What about you? Has anything ‘disappeared’ from a removal of yours?’
I like this painting, too. I like paintings with lots of detail and I like snow paintings. I can always find something new and interesting in them and the snowy ones make me feel cozy. I like Bruegel’s painting style.
Yes, things always disappear when moving. And the thing is is that we usually move ourselves, with the help of friends. When we moved to Philadelphia, I checked the truck we’d loaded to make sure everything was out and I was the only other person carrying boxes in my car. And, still, there are things I can’t find. Maybe they jump out of the truck while in transit. Or maybe the old house refuses to let them go or the new house sucks them up? Makes me crazy!
Joan,
I hope you had a good Christmas. I also like paintings which you can spend ages looking at and still see something new the next time you look.
Our last removal was a complete nightmare because the so called professional company was terrible and worst of all most of our stuff was being stored by them for a few months as we were actually homeless due to the fact that we couldn’t find a half decent house to buy, it was boom time and we kept being outbid, we have a secret bid system here. Next time we are going to move all the boxes ourselves and use removal men just for the furniture. I like your ideas about the old house refusing to let go though! We might find out that it’s true when we move!