# The Joy of Ice on a Frozen Canal near a Walled Town [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [VELDE, Esaias van de]() - Date: 1601-1650 - Technique: Oil on panel, 30 x 50 cm ## Commentary Turning away from the carefully structured and mannered approach of his predecessors, Van de Velde was among the earliest proponents of a more naturalistic approach to landscape in the Netherlands. His subjects are ordinary scenes, set in landscapes or small towns, as here, and are presented with an utter lack of grandiosity. He paints them from a low vantage point, which creates a sense of immediacy for the viewer. Esaias Van de Velde's pattern of composition were clearly influenced by the Flemish landscapists, in particular Gillis van Coninxloo and David Vinckboons, two immigrants who settled in Amsterdam. The present painting demonstrates that he sought to present his subject - the frozen canal on the edge of a town and the small scenes set on it - in a more immediate and realistic way. This painting belongs to a small group winter landscape produced by Van de Velde in the last fifteen years of his life. ## Related artworks - [Bandits Attacking a Caravan of Travellers]() - [Battle Scene in an Open Landscape]() - [Ferry Boat \(detail\)]() - [Ferry Boat \(detail\)]() - [Ferry Boat]() - [Garden Party before a Palace]() - [Landscape]() - [Merry Company Banqueting on a Terrace]() - [Riders on a Path between Ruins and a High Bank]() - [Traveller and his Pack Horse]() - [View of Zierikzee]() - [Winter Landscape]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()