A castle tower in a frozen winter landscape

Having adopted the family tradition of painting, Willem Koekkoek became best known for his winter street scenes, of which the present painting is a prime example. While his architectural training remains evident, the artist introduces figures and animals which show careful observation; so here though the composition is dominated by the scale of the castle, it is the touching detail of the couple gathering firewood that imbues the work with such tangible atmosphere. His favourite subject was his native Holland and his style remained distinctively Dutch, yet his handling of colour became particularly individual as seen in the ominous sky, showing that he was skilful in his manipulation of light and shade.