17th-century Deaf Dutch painter

Ice Landscape
Oil on canvas
Staatliches Museum, Schwerin

Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634), one of the first Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century, was deaf and mute and known as de Stomme van Kampen (“the mute of Kampen”). He is especially noted for his winter landscapes of his homeland. His landscapes are characterized by high horizons, bright clear colors, and tree branches darkly drawn against the snow or the sky. His paintings are lively and descriptive, with evidence of solid drawing skills that made him an ideal recorder of his contemporary life.

His drawings were very popular in his time, and he sold many of them (enhanced with watercolors). His landscapes have a narrative quality, telling the tale of a crowd of people walking, skating, tobogganing, golfing, selling soup, making tea – each busy with a slightly different occupation. Currently there is an outstanding collection of his drawings at Windsor Castle in the possession of Queen Elizabeth II.

Paintings in Museums and Public Art Galleries:

The Guide to Great Art on the Internet: Artcyclopedia

World Classic Gallery (7 different paintings)

1st-art-gallery – Hendrick Avercamp oil paintings

The biography of Hendrick Avercamp