Winter in Art and Literature

To start off this occasional series on the seasons in art and literature, I have chosen one of my favourite paintings and one of my favourite Shakespeare plays.

Hunters in the Snow by Peter Bruegel the Elder is one of the best-known paintings in the history of art. It is remarkable for its sensitive portrayal of winter: there’s certainly a strong sense of cold as the weary hunters plod through the snow on what seems to have been a somewhat unsuccessful trip. Bleakness extends across the plain from the frozen lakes to the jagged mountains and sombre sky, distance accentuated by the bird flying across the sky. The predominant colours are black, white and grey. The eye moves from the hunters towards the lake and mountains. You can almost feel the chill in the air. But there is warmth as well. The fire on the left was, perhaps, prepared for something more substantial than the skinny-looking hare on the shoulder of one of the hunters. Children, and adults as well, are enjoying skating on the frozen lake. Two children are playing with a sledge in the bottom right. There is happiness and fun amidst the gloom. “Never has the poetry of a Northern landscape been expressed with such intensity”, said an early art critic. I think most people would agree.

Hunters in the Snow was painted in about 1565. About fifty years later, Shakespeare wrote The Winter’s Tale, categorised as one of Shakespeare’s late plays. It is less well-known than many and does not neatly fit into the category of comedy, tragedy or history. It tells the story of Leontes, the King of Sicily, who becomes suspicious of his virtuous wife’s infidelity with Polixenes, the King of Bohemia. Suspicion turns to obsessive jealousy which leads to Leontes ordering the execution of Hermione, his wife, and newly-born baby girl (believed to have been fathered by Polixenes). Miraculously, Hermione manages to escape. The baby is separated from her mother and brought up by a family of shepherds who name her Perdita, the lost child. Sixteen years later, Perdita falls in love with a dashing young prince who also happens to be the son of Polixenes.

In the meantime, Leontes has realised his appalling mistake and is full of remorse for wrongly condemning his virtuous wife and daughter. He is desperate for forgiveness and redemption. In one of the most remarkable scenes in Shakespeare, a statue of Hermione, who has been taking refuge in a convent, is brought back to life in front of Leontes’ eyes. He realises that Hermione is still alive. Also Perdita is still alive and her true identity as a princess is discovered.

So what does all this have to do with winter? The story has elements of fantasy, not unlike a fairy story or ballet. Interestingly, it has been choreographed for ballet. In this sense, it is a winter’s tale, a story to be told on a long winter’s evening to while away the time. But it also contains themes of cold winter giving way to the new growth and optimism of spring, despair giving way to hope. Above all, it is about the healing quality of time passing. Perhaps this is a relevant message today to so many people who have suffered recently. Things will get better!

Tim Pattinson

Hunters in the Snow by Peter Bruegel the Elder