Please share your thoughts, ideas and questions inspired by Van Ostade’s painting with us here.
39 thoughts on “Van Ostade’s: A canal in Winter”
I think that canal in the winter looks gloomy and very sad it makes me feel sad looking at those poor people in the picture if you look closely you can see a little girl all alone
The canal in winter makes me feel gloomy. There is a serenity of sadness in the picture.
When I look at it I think of civil/world wars and refugees because everyone looks sad. But some children look happy because they are skating or sledging.
When I look at ‘Canal in Winter’ I feel a bit gloomy and sad because some of the people look poor and sad maybe because they’re cold and they like the Summer more. I like how the author mixes some colours together for example the white the grey and the yellow. I think Isack Van Ostade was trying to create this mood because maybe he always does paintings that make you feel happy so he wanted to change that.
This painting makes me feel sad because of the dark paint on the canal in winter. It reminds about the refugee problem and the dark colors stand out with the ice snow. The main dark colors are brown , black, inky blue. Black in the painting is as black as winter oak bark. The dark colors show the sadness but the kids are having fun and the bright colors are in the background. Bright colors are where the happiness is and the dark colors are where sadness is right at the front.
The painting makes me feel miserable because some people are cold and some people look lonely. The colour of the sky is gloomy and grey and the clouds look heavy. The people are wrapped up warm and got some extra layers . The trees had old twisted branches and the skin of the trees are all shredded up . The man needed help pulling the sledge onto the canal and he asked a women to help him also the baby look a bit sad but hes trying to make something out of sticks .
When I look at canal in winter I feel there is a sad feeling because everybody is lonely and unhappy. The colour of the sky is dull and it looks heavy with snow. It also looks like they are refuges because people are moving round and round. When I look at the trees they are leafless and have branches like thin long fingers. When I saw the baby on the ground I felt sad because I fought he was friendless and lonely and he felt cold .
When I look in ‘canal in winter ’I feel sad. The trees are lifeless and leafless children are happily playing and adults are just looking down and there is a windmill the back round. I always chills up my spine happy. There is a unhappy feel about ‘canal in winter’. when I step on the ice. Some faces are gloomy and some re happy but the gloomy faced people are not that happy
The canal makes me feel a little bit sad and also a bit cold. It reminds me of a refugee camp. The artist used very dull colours and the people look very lonely and helpless . The landscape is a bit plain and snowy. I think he created this mood because he wanted to show that life was hard for those in winter.
The painting makes me feel hopeful because all of the people are working together in a civilisation. The colours are manly a orange ground and the sky is white and a hint of blue the trees have no leaves . Some children are skating on the nice light blue ice and some children are playing with the sticks.
This painting makes me feel sad because of the dark paint on the canal in winter. It reminds about the refugee problem and the dark colors stand out with the ice snow. The main dark colors are brown , black, inky blue. Black in the painting is as black as winter oak bark. The dark colors show the sadness but the kids are having fun and the bright colors are in the background. Bright colors are where the happiness is and the dark colors are where the sadness is right at the front.
The canal in winter makes me feel sad because it reminds me of a refugee camp. Also I wouldn’t like to have it on my bedroom wall as its dark and gloomy however, it may be considered a happy painting because children are playing on the frozen canal and people are happily skating. So in many ways it is considered a happy painting and In some ways it can be sad (well I personally think it’s sad.)
There is a very sad feeling about this painting , because it is painted with very dark and gloomy colours .I would not like to have this painting on my wall because it does not look joyful and most of the people look miserable. However , parts of this painting could be considered happy as it has lots of happy children ice skating in the back- round.
The painting makes me feel hopeful because even though its winter and everyone looks sad there’s still some people having fun. Like the colours as well because everything looks dull and sad and it’s like a horrible day, but the clouds are dispersing and in the back ground there’s some light. That’s what makes me hopeful. Some people are working together and children are ice skating and some others are playing with sticks and people are selling supplies to everyone. They are all helping each other.
This painting of ‘Canal in Winter ‘makes me feel lonely because the clouds are grey and the adults have gloomy faces. The colours in the painting are dark and they make me feel sad. The trees are bare and the sky is gloomy. When I look at this painting it makes me feel alone. However, the children are happily skating on the canal. I think the artist painted it like this to make the point that even though it is cold and dark you can still have fun.
The painting makes me feel sad because if I was in the painting I would be very cold and be wearing extra layers to keep warm from the cold. People would be walking slowly with unhappy faces rubbing their hands together. The trees were lifeless and the tree’s branches were stretching out like hands and were leafless. The colours of the painting were dull and the sky was gloomy, clouds the colour of ash. The canal looked frozen solid if I was there I’d get chills up my spine when I step on the ice.
The ‘Canal in Winter’ painting makes me feel a bit sad because it looks dark and cold. The canal is frozen and everyone has thick coats and they‘re pushing sleds on the ice. The trees are lifeless and bare, the branches look like fingers reaching out to the sky. There is a white horse getting ready to pull people across the ice. The clouds are the colour of ash.
The ‘Canal in Winter’ painting makes me feel a bit sad because it looks dark and cold. The canal is frozen and everyone has thick coats and they‘re pushing sleds on the ice. The trees are lifeless and bare, the branches look like fingers reaching out to the sky. There is a white horse getting ready to pull people across the ice. The clouds are the colour of ash.
If I were on the frozen canal in van Ostade’s Canal in Winter; I would be ice skating with a few friends. The painting makes me feel cosy and nice. I would feel happy because I like playing in the snow and slipping on the ice having fun. In cold weather I wear a warm jacket and a hat, just like the people in the painting. Even on a very cold day, you can have a nice time playing with your friends.
I really like the white horse in the painting. I would like to pat the horse and give him some food to eat.
Canal in Winter makes me feel alone because it looks dark and gloomy even though there are lots of people in it. There is a mysterious feeling in it as most of the adults look miserable and most of the children look happy. One child looks sad and I feel sorry for him. It also makes me feel lonely because the colours are dark and dull like they almost blend into together. The trees look old like they wouldn’t be able to grow another leaf. There are definitely darker paintings than this but I haven’t seen one.
Canal in Winter makes me feel alone because it looks dark and gloomy even though there are lots of people in it. There is a mysterious feeling in it as most of the adults look miserable and most of the children look happy. One child looks sad and I feel sorry for him. It also makes me feel lonely because the colours are dark and dull like they almost blend into together. The trees look old like they wouldn’t be able to grow another leaf. There are definitely darker paintings than this but I haven’t seen one.
The painter is very talented, His painting is very interesting to look at and it makes me feel like I am in that setting having fun with everyone else. Also it makes me feel happy that people are having fun ice skating in the back ground.
The painting makes me feel sad because all the trees have lost their leaves and the houses are covered in moss, which gives a feeling of abandonment. It also reminds me of refugees because all of the people look like they are moving from one place to another. I also get the slightest hint of loneliness because everyone is in the same place, but doing different things and rushing around pushing each other. The colours all merge into each other because they’re all quite dark, except for the colour of the sky which is light grey. The people all look very cold as its winter and some look quite tired. The landscape is quite flat but also has a small hill on the right. I think the artist was trying to create this mood because he wanted to make it look a bit more like winter and show that life is hard for them in winter.
As I entered the frozen solid canal, I quickly rapped my scarf around my neck. I saw sad gloomy faces quietly muttering. The ice looked varnished and shiny. My feet felt like blocks of ice. The sky was grey and packed with snow. I saw children happily ice skating. The trees were bent and bare. I blew my hands to warm them. The ice was smooth and slippery. It was as cold as an ice burg.
Today has been the best day of life, I can’t believe how much fun I had in the snow. Let me tell you all about it.
It was freezing: the coldest day of the year so far! Everyone was having a great time, especially the children, they went sledding, snowball fighting and went ice skating. When everyone saw the snow, we were so excited because it was absolutely bitter, I could feel the cold in my bones. The icy, cold wind violently pushed against my body. All the shops were closed because the snow was so brutal. The older ones were playing hockey they enjoyed it so much. I wished this day would never end. All the children and adults were having so much ice skating. All the old people were having so much fun many of them were rich and were carrying the barrel of beer. All the children went sledding down a frosty,chilly hill. Even though the streets were full of ice It was mountains of fun. Everyone was slipping and sliding across the streets in their fancy ice skates and sleigh.
I had the best day of the year . It was one of those really cold days , when the river turns into ice and all the villagers get together to ice skate … Let me tell you all about it .
It was a icy and snowy day . All the neighbours were rapped all in their warmest clothes.The best thing was everyone went ice skating. I only like snowy days because I get to go out and play with the cold ,freezing sticks and pretend they are my friends . Otherwise I really hate them days . Without my sticks I would have been home all day eating disgusting , warm carrot soup .
All of my neighbours , including me are poor . Most of the adults were going to the market . I felt really cold , but didn’t care with my sticks around .the wind made me feel like I was turning into ice . By the time our neighbourhood was getting crowded , my sticks were getting hot. Because of that , I kept on taking my gloves off and touch the hot sticks which made my hand turn alive again . Children like me in the neighbourhood wore really warm clothes . Most off the adults were playing ice hockey ( olden time one) . I really wish this day would not end . It was not really fair
That the adults wore more thinner clothes , but that didn’t really bother me
Dear diary,
Today was a great day. Let me explain…It was the coldest day of the year. The wind blew violently through the valley. My dad woke me up early because he told me that we were going to the frozen lake so that I could go sledding and they could sell some of our possessions. As I saddled up the horse, the wind blew me over. Before I realised what had hit me, I had a nasty graze on my knee. It took hours for me and my family to get to the frozen canal because our horse was cold; he wanted a rest. It was Freezing! The cold was absolutely overwhelming and the snow that fell on my face felt like knives. It was so cold, my hands were numb within seconds of taking off my gloves. I went sledging, but there was also a boot sale going on. I tried to not hit any of the precious stuff in the boot sail, but in the end, I accidently bashed into a small painting. I had to pay for it out of my money. By the time that I had made it back on the path, I was beginning to feel weary. Up ahead, some horse riders were having race. After what seemed like hours of waiting, my mum called me back to our horse cart. About time, too. Although it was only 3 o’clock, everybody was leaving. I wonder why?
I felt really happy that I got to see the frozen lake but I felt quite guilty that I bashed into the boot sail and I had to pay the back with my money. The thing I was most relieved about, was that I didn’t crash into something more expensive, imagine if I had crashed into a horse or a cart. It would be a disaster. Anyway, my mum and dad sold some vases and a pack of pencils. We also bought a silk dress and barrel to contain our wine. As we were loading our stuff onto the cart, a kind man asked if he could help. We replied with a yes so he ended up carrying our barrel onto our cart. Hang on a second. My mum’s calling me. See you tomorrow!
From Jack Gilman
As I arrived at the frozen canal I saw solid ice. I saw children happily skating, I wanted to skate too, but as soon as I stepped on the slippery ice I got chills up my spine.
The sky was gloomy, it was the colour of ash, the sky was heavy with snow. As I skated I saw trees with leafless branches, they were stretching out like hands but the trees were lifeless. It was so cold my teeth chattered as I took a step on the ice. The frozen people wore extra layers to keep warm, people had gloomy faces while walking very slowly. After I had my fun I got off that smooth slippery ice and I thought the people would go on the ice but not much people did. Suddenly, I looked back and saw everyone skating so I went back happily.
On my way to the canal, I checked my watch to make sure I wasn’t late. When we arrived I looked up at the sky and saw, thick grey clouds in the dark gloomy sky. Then I looked up at the trees they were bare and colourless they had no leafs, the branches looked like fingers that wanted to grab me. I stood back a bit and noticed the tree was silhouetted against the sky. I walked over to the canal it was frozen and icy I put on foot on it, it was as cold as the arctic, it was so cold it sent a chill up my spine I could see the cold water beneath my feet, my teeth started to chatter my body started to shiver but I just joined the over children in skating on the ice. I put my hand in my pockets to keep them warm and my breathe turned to ice in the wintery air but ice just kept skating with everyone else.
I think that canal in the winter looks gloomy and very sad it makes me feel sad looking at those poor people in the picture if you look closely you can see a little girl all alone
That’s Amazing
The canal in winter makes me feel gloomy. There is a serenity of sadness in the picture.
When I look at it I think of civil/world wars and refugees because everyone looks sad. But some children look happy because they are skating or sledging.
Hi Henry, That’s an interesting way to look at a piece of art. To explore it’s relevance to today.
I agree Walsh
When I look at ‘Canal in Winter’ I feel a bit gloomy and sad because some of the people look poor and sad maybe because they’re cold and they like the Summer more. I like how the author mixes some colours together for example the white the grey and the yellow. I think Isack Van Ostade was trying to create this mood because maybe he always does paintings that make you feel happy so he wanted to change that.
This painting makes me feel sad because of the dark paint on the canal in winter. It reminds about the refugee problem and the dark colors stand out with the ice snow. The main dark colors are brown , black, inky blue. Black in the painting is as black as winter oak bark. The dark colors show the sadness but the kids are having fun and the bright colors are in the background. Bright colors are where the happiness is and the dark colors are where sadness is right at the front.
The painting makes me feel miserable because some people are cold and some people look lonely. The colour of the sky is gloomy and grey and the clouds look heavy. The people are wrapped up warm and got some extra layers . The trees had old twisted branches and the skin of the trees are all shredded up . The man needed help pulling the sledge onto the canal and he asked a women to help him also the baby look a bit sad but hes trying to make something out of sticks .
When I look at canal in winter I feel there is a sad feeling because everybody is lonely and unhappy. The colour of the sky is dull and it looks heavy with snow. It also looks like they are refuges because people are moving round and round. When I look at the trees they are leafless and have branches like thin long fingers. When I saw the baby on the ground I felt sad because I fought he was friendless and lonely and he felt cold .
When I look in ‘canal in winter ’I feel sad. The trees are lifeless and leafless children are happily playing and adults are just looking down and there is a windmill the back round. I always chills up my spine happy. There is a unhappy feel about ‘canal in winter’. when I step on the ice. Some faces are gloomy and some re happy but the gloomy faced people are not that happy
The canal makes me feel a little bit sad and also a bit cold. It reminds me of a refugee camp. The artist used very dull colours and the people look very lonely and helpless . The landscape is a bit plain and snowy. I think he created this mood because he wanted to show that life was hard for those in winter.
The painting makes me feel hopeful because all of the people are working together in a civilisation. The colours are manly a orange ground and the sky is white and a hint of blue the trees have no leaves . Some children are skating on the nice light blue ice and some children are playing with the sticks.
This painting makes me feel sad because of the dark paint on the canal in winter. It reminds about the refugee problem and the dark colors stand out with the ice snow. The main dark colors are brown , black, inky blue. Black in the painting is as black as winter oak bark. The dark colors show the sadness but the kids are having fun and the bright colors are in the background. Bright colors are where the happiness is and the dark colors are where the sadness is right at the front.
The canal in winter makes me feel sad because it reminds me of a refugee camp. Also I wouldn’t like to have it on my bedroom wall as its dark and gloomy however, it may be considered a happy painting because children are playing on the frozen canal and people are happily skating. So in many ways it is considered a happy painting and In some ways it can be sad (well I personally think it’s sad.)
Painting
There is a very sad feeling about this painting , because it is painted with very dark and gloomy colours .I would not like to have this painting on my wall because it does not look joyful and most of the people look miserable. However , parts of this painting could be considered happy as it has lots of happy children ice skating in the back- round.
The painting makes me feel hopeful because even though its winter and everyone looks sad there’s still some people having fun. Like the colours as well because everything looks dull and sad and it’s like a horrible day, but the clouds are dispersing and in the back ground there’s some light. That’s what makes me hopeful. Some people are working together and children are ice skating and some others are playing with sticks and people are selling supplies to everyone. They are all helping each other.
This painting of ‘Canal in Winter ‘makes me feel lonely because the clouds are grey and the adults have gloomy faces. The colours in the painting are dark and they make me feel sad. The trees are bare and the sky is gloomy. When I look at this painting it makes me feel alone. However, the children are happily skating on the canal. I think the artist painted it like this to make the point that even though it is cold and dark you can still have fun.
The painting makes me feel sad because if I was in the painting I would be very cold and be wearing extra layers to keep warm from the cold. People would be walking slowly with unhappy faces rubbing their hands together. The trees were lifeless and the tree’s branches were stretching out like hands and were leafless. The colours of the painting were dull and the sky was gloomy, clouds the colour of ash. The canal looked frozen solid if I was there I’d get chills up my spine when I step on the ice.
The ‘Canal in Winter’ painting makes me feel a bit sad because it looks dark and cold. The canal is frozen and everyone has thick coats and they‘re pushing sleds on the ice. The trees are lifeless and bare, the branches look like fingers reaching out to the sky. There is a white horse getting ready to pull people across the ice. The clouds are the colour of ash.
The ‘Canal in Winter’ painting makes me feel a bit sad because it looks dark and cold. The canal is frozen and everyone has thick coats and they‘re pushing sleds on the ice. The trees are lifeless and bare, the branches look like fingers reaching out to the sky. There is a white horse getting ready to pull people across the ice. The clouds are the colour of ash.
If I were on the frozen canal in van Ostade’s Canal in Winter; I would be ice skating with a few friends. The painting makes me feel cosy and nice. I would feel happy because I like playing in the snow and slipping on the ice having fun. In cold weather I wear a warm jacket and a hat, just like the people in the painting. Even on a very cold day, you can have a nice time playing with your friends.
I really like the white horse in the painting. I would like to pat the horse and give him some food to eat.
Canal in Winter makes me feel alone because it looks dark and gloomy even though there are lots of people in it. There is a mysterious feeling in it as most of the adults look miserable and most of the children look happy. One child looks sad and I feel sorry for him. It also makes me feel lonely because the colours are dark and dull like they almost blend into together. The trees look old like they wouldn’t be able to grow another leaf. There are definitely darker paintings than this but I haven’t seen one.
Canal in Winter makes me feel alone because it looks dark and gloomy even though there are lots of people in it. There is a mysterious feeling in it as most of the adults look miserable and most of the children look happy. One child looks sad and I feel sorry for him. It also makes me feel lonely because the colours are dark and dull like they almost blend into together. The trees look old like they wouldn’t be able to grow another leaf. There are definitely darker paintings than this but I haven’t seen one.
The painter is very talented, His painting is very interesting to look at and it makes me feel like I am in that setting having fun with everyone else. Also it makes me feel happy that people are having fun ice skating in the back ground.
The painting makes me feel sad because all the trees have lost their leaves and the houses are covered in moss, which gives a feeling of abandonment. It also reminds me of refugees because all of the people look like they are moving from one place to another. I also get the slightest hint of loneliness because everyone is in the same place, but doing different things and rushing around pushing each other. The colours all merge into each other because they’re all quite dark, except for the colour of the sky which is light grey. The people all look very cold as its winter and some look quite tired. The landscape is quite flat but also has a small hill on the right. I think the artist was trying to create this mood because he wanted to make it look a bit more like winter and show that life is hard for them in winter.
As I entered the frozen solid canal, I quickly rapped my scarf around my neck. I saw sad gloomy faces quietly muttering. The ice looked varnished and shiny. My feet felt like blocks of ice. The sky was grey and packed with snow. I saw children happily ice skating. The trees were bent and bare. I blew my hands to warm them. The ice was smooth and slippery. It was as cold as an ice burg.
Dear diary,
Today has been the best day of life, I can’t believe how much fun I had in the snow. Let me tell you all about it.
It was freezing: the coldest day of the year so far! Everyone was having a great time, especially the children, they went sledding, snowball fighting and went ice skating. When everyone saw the snow, we were so excited because it was absolutely bitter, I could feel the cold in my bones. The icy, cold wind violently pushed against my body. All the shops were closed because the snow was so brutal. The older ones were playing hockey they enjoyed it so much. I wished this day would never end. All the children and adults were having so much ice skating. All the old people were having so much fun many of them were rich and were carrying the barrel of beer. All the children went sledding down a frosty,chilly hill. Even though the streets were full of ice It was mountains of fun. Everyone was slipping and sliding across the streets in their fancy ice skates and sleigh.
This is very descriptive and well explained but some sentences don’t make sense but good try.
Dear Diary,
I had the best day of the year . It was one of those really cold days , when the river turns into ice and all the villagers get together to ice skate … Let me tell you all about it .
It was a icy and snowy day . All the neighbours were rapped all in their warmest clothes.The best thing was everyone went ice skating. I only like snowy days because I get to go out and play with the cold ,freezing sticks and pretend they are my friends . Otherwise I really hate them days . Without my sticks I would have been home all day eating disgusting , warm carrot soup .
All of my neighbours , including me are poor . Most of the adults were going to the market . I felt really cold , but didn’t care with my sticks around .the wind made me feel like I was turning into ice . By the time our neighbourhood was getting crowded , my sticks were getting hot. Because of that , I kept on taking my gloves off and touch the hot sticks which made my hand turn alive again . Children like me in the neighbourhood wore really warm clothes . Most off the adults were playing ice hockey ( olden time one) . I really wish this day would not end . It was not really fair
That the adults wore more thinner clothes , but that didn’t really bother me
IS THAT REAL BECAUSE THAT’S AMAZING.
Dear diary,
Today was a great day. Let me explain…It was the coldest day of the year. The wind blew violently through the valley. My dad woke me up early because he told me that we were going to the frozen lake so that I could go sledding and they could sell some of our possessions. As I saddled up the horse, the wind blew me over. Before I realised what had hit me, I had a nasty graze on my knee. It took hours for me and my family to get to the frozen canal because our horse was cold; he wanted a rest. It was Freezing! The cold was absolutely overwhelming and the snow that fell on my face felt like knives. It was so cold, my hands were numb within seconds of taking off my gloves. I went sledging, but there was also a boot sale going on. I tried to not hit any of the precious stuff in the boot sail, but in the end, I accidently bashed into a small painting. I had to pay for it out of my money. By the time that I had made it back on the path, I was beginning to feel weary. Up ahead, some horse riders were having race. After what seemed like hours of waiting, my mum called me back to our horse cart. About time, too. Although it was only 3 o’clock, everybody was leaving. I wonder why?
I felt really happy that I got to see the frozen lake but I felt quite guilty that I bashed into the boot sail and I had to pay the back with my money. The thing I was most relieved about, was that I didn’t crash into something more expensive, imagine if I had crashed into a horse or a cart. It would be a disaster. Anyway, my mum and dad sold some vases and a pack of pencils. We also bought a silk dress and barrel to contain our wine. As we were loading our stuff onto the cart, a kind man asked if he could help. We replied with a yes so he ended up carrying our barrel onto our cart. Hang on a second. My mum’s calling me. See you tomorrow!
From Jack Gilman
Hello Jack!
I like your diary entry especially the adjectives. Next time don’t use the same word cold all the time.
Charlotte
very descriptive it was like a story was it meant to be.
As I arrived at the frozen canal I saw solid ice. I saw children happily skating, I wanted to skate too, but as soon as I stepped on the slippery ice I got chills up my spine.
The sky was gloomy, it was the colour of ash, the sky was heavy with snow. As I skated I saw trees with leafless branches, they were stretching out like hands but the trees were lifeless. It was so cold my teeth chattered as I took a step on the ice. The frozen people wore extra layers to keep warm, people had gloomy faces while walking very slowly. After I had my fun I got off that smooth slippery ice and I thought the people would go on the ice but not much people did. Suddenly, I looked back and saw everyone skating so I went back happily.
On my way to the canal, I checked my watch to make sure I wasn’t late. When we arrived I looked up at the sky and saw, thick grey clouds in the dark gloomy sky. Then I looked up at the trees they were bare and colourless they had no leafs, the branches looked like fingers that wanted to grab me. I stood back a bit and noticed the tree was silhouetted against the sky. I walked over to the canal it was frozen and icy I put on foot on it, it was as cold as the arctic, it was so cold it sent a chill up my spine I could see the cold water beneath my feet, my teeth started to chatter my body started to shiver but I just joined the over children in skating on the ice. I put my hand in my pockets to keep them warm and my breathe turned to ice in the wintery air but ice just kept skating with everyone else.
The End
That was fun to read’
I found a ship, a dog, a person in there house, a horse, people playing hockey and a person pushing someone on a sledge over the frozen canal.
I wonder what else there is to spot?
The house on the left of the picture has a person peering out of it.