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Dozens of people stand, skate, play a game like hockey, or ride horse-drawn sleds on a frozen river that winds along a town to our left and into the distance in this nearly square landscape painting. The horizon comes about a quarter of the way up the composition, and the sky above is filled with ivory-white clouds billowing up against a pale blue sky. Some of the men wear tall hats, hip-length capes over jackets, and breeches over stockings, while others are more simply dressed with rounded hats. Several of the women wear wide, pleated, plate-like neck ruffs, fur muffs, and long dresses, while others wear aprons over peanut-brown and muted blue dresses. The scene is alive with activity, including a man looking at us as he balances rakishly on one skate near the lower right corner, and a young girl sitting in a sled and pushing herself along with sticks nearby. The trees lining the snow-covered, riverside path are bare and the village to our left is painted in tones of pale tan and white. In the distance the snowy earth blends into the soft blue sky and fluffy clouds above. The artist signed the work as if he had painted his name and the date on the face of a wooden fence in the lower left corner: “AV DN 1645.”

Aert van der Neer, Winter in Holland: Skating Scene, 1645, oil on panel, Corcoran Collection (William A. Clark Collection), 2014.136.37

Aert van der Neer's Winter in Holland: Skating Scene

Sketchbook Club

Sketchbook Club

  • Tuesday, December 17, 2024
  • 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
  • Fun for Kids
  • Virtual
  • Registration Required
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Join us as we sketch inspired by Aert van der Neer's Winter in Holland: Skating Scene.

This is one club where you don’t need a membership to join! National Gallery of Art teaching artists lead free, 30-minute sketches inspired by works of art from the National Gallery’s collection. Add new drawings to your sketchbook or just doodle along with us as we explore a different prompt each session.

All you need are a pencil and paper. We encourage you to bring colored pencils, crayons, markers, or paints as well, but these are optional. Sketchbook Club is recommended for families with children of all ages.

Registration is required.