The Meaning of “The Hunters in the Snow” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Why this winter landscape painting still looks fresh 500 years after it was made

The Hunters in the Snow (1565) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Oil on oak wood. 117 × 162 cm. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Image source Wikimedia Commons

It is probably the most famous painting of winter in all of art. A snow-covered valley, with leafless trees and frozen lakes.