Background Information The Dutch artist Hendrik Meyer illustrated the subject of this watercolor—an idealized version of winter in a Dutch village—in great detail. A barren tree rendered in crisp lines
and white highlights dominates the foreground. The sky is filled with gray clouds, smoke pours from a cottage chimney, and a nearby stream is frozen over. A partially submerged rowboat is covered with snow and ice.
Despite the frigid weather, people are outside, keeping warm with activities such as chopping and gathering wood, sledding, and ice-skating. Other elements in the scene also suggest movement: a windmill, the chimney
smoke, and birds circling or flying in formation. The landscape is filled with delicate textures: grass peeking through snow, a thatched roof, and skaters' trails on ice.
About the Artist Hendrik Meyer (Dutch, 1744–93) Meyer is best known for his meticulous draftsmanship of idealized landscapes, finely rendered in watercolor. His drawings are filled with detail but also
have a theatrical quality about them.
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