Winter Scene

Verstraelen’s work was much indebted to that of Hendrick and Barend Avercamp, to whom his better work has often been ascribed. His winter landscapes were typically composed with figures of skaters and everyday folk arranged across the foreground plane, while behind them a frozen river or canal stretches through a village into the distance. The banks of the river are typically occupied by humble country dwellings and Verstraelen’s distinctive gnarled trees.