plate no. 5910

Alkmaar in Winter

oilBaroquecityscapecityscapeice skatingfiguresskybuildingswinter

what to study here

It shows how edge softness, value zones and a muted palette create depth and a crowded winter scene without visible brushwork.

Study how this painting holds a busy scene together with a restrained range of values and edges. The vision guide reads three zones: dark foreground activity, warm mid-ground buildings, and a light, soft sky. The tower on the left is the anchor. Its shadow side is among the darkest areas, and it casts shadow across the ice. Notice that the tower and the foreground figures get crisp edges, while the distant city softens into haze. That edge control, more than any single brushstroke, produces the depth. Look at the ice: the guide describes a greenish-grey, darker than the sky, so it reads as a solid surface and not as snow. The red tent in the lower left frames the crowd, and the guide notes it is darker and more muted than a first glance suggests. The figures are small, in clusters, and vary in posture, which gives rhythm across the ice. Handling is smooth and blended in sky and water, with little visible stroke. Copy the value and edge decisions first, then the color.

key decision

The painter kept the darkest values and crispest edges in the tower and foreground figures, and let the distant city dissolve into soft, cool haze, building depth through value and edge control.

From the record

Dimensions: 79.3 cm high × 110.5 cm wide
Institution: National Galleries Scotland
Location: Scottish National Gallery
Inception: 1656
Materials: oil paint, canvas

Koek-en-zopie
ice skating
Grote or Sint-Laurenskerk

Wikidata item Q27976027

recreation guide

Salomon van Ruysdael’s *Alkmaar in Winter* is a cityscape that likely reflects the artist’s late-period shift toward urban panoramas and seascapes, where the sky often dominates the composition, taking up to two-thirds of the canvas (Source 6). As a practitioner of the Dutch Golden Age, Ruysdael’s work is characterized by a 'classical' phase style that builds grandiose effects through vigorous contrasts of solid form against the sky and light against shade (Source 2). The painting likely employs the atmospheric techniques common to the 'tonal' phase that preceded this classical style, using tonality to suggest winter weather and mood (Source 2). The work represents a topographical view, depicting a specific place with buildings prominently featured, consistent with the professional tradition of painting real views rather than imaginary landscapes (Source 3).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil of copavia (or modern damar/resin substitute)	Medium for glazing and scumbling, as cited in Reynolds' method for old masters	Damar varnish or high-quality oil medium
Ultramarine	Primary blue pigment for the grisaille underpainting and sky	Ultramarine Blue
Black (Ivory or Lamp Black)	For the monochrome grisaille underpainting	Ivory Black
White (Lead White or Titanium)	For the grisaille underpainting and highlighting	Titanium White (for safety) or Flake White (for authenticity)
Yellow and Red earth pigments (Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre)	For glazing and scumbling to introduce warm tones over the cool underpainting	Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre
Canvas or Panel	Support for the oil painting	Linen canvas primed with gesso

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a smooth, white or light-toned ground. While specific preparation for this exact canvas is not detailed, the technique described involves a 'grisaille' (monochrome underpainting) which requires a dry, stable surface to accept subsequent glazes (Source 1). The old masters generally prepared surfaces to allow for the layering of transparent and semi-opaque coats.

underdrawing

The sources do not explicitly describe Ruysdael’s underdrawing methods for this specific work. However, the technique of 'glazing and scumbling' implies a structured underpainting phase. It is likely that a compositional sketch was made, but the primary structural work is done in the monochrome underpainting rather than a detailed charcoal drawing left visible.

underpainting

Execute a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white. This step involves 'mentally extracting the red and yellow colours' to establish the value structure and atmospheric depth without color interference (Source 1). This underpainting serves as the foundation for the subsequent color glazes.

color palette

Cool Grey/Blue

Ultramarine, Black, White

Grisaille underpainting and establishing shadows and atmospheric distance

Warm Yellow/Red Tones

Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre, mixed with oil medium

Glazing and scumbling to introduce warmth and local color, particularly in highlights and sunlit areas

Neutral Grey

Black and White

General tonal modeling and creating 'grey bloom' effects in shadows

composition

The composition likely features a dominant sky, consistent with Ruysdael’s late style where the sky takes up two-thirds of the canvas (Source 6). The cityscape elements (buildings, streets) are arranged to create vigorous contrasts of solid form against the sky and light against shade (Source 2). As a topographical view, the buildings are depicted with a degree of accuracy to represent the specific place of Alkmaar (Source 3).

step by step

underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underpainting

step 01
Mix black, ultramarine, and white to create a range of greys. Paint the entire composition in monochrome, focusing on value contrasts and atmospheric perspective. Mentally exclude red and yellow hues to establish the underlying structure.
Tip — Ensure the underpainting is quite dry before proceeding to glazing.
Grisaille

first pass

step 02
Apply transparent glazes of yellow and red tones using oil of copavia (or a suitable medium) over the dry grisaille. This mimics the tinting of an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; apply thinly to allow the underpainting to show through.
Glazing

refining

step 03
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust tones and create atmospheric effects, such as a 'grey bloom' in shadows or cold areas. Scumble over darker grounds to introduce coldness.
Tip — Scumbling allows the underlying painting to make itself felt; use it to soften edges and blend tones.
Scumbling

finishing

step 04
Refine the contrasts between solid forms (buildings) and the sky, ensuring the vigorous light/shade contrasts characteristic of the classical phase are achieved.
Tip — Check for balance between the detailed cityscape and the expansive sky.
Contrast Modeling

varnishing

step 05
Once fully dry, apply a varnish to protect the glazes and unify the surface. The old masters often used varnish mixed with oil for final adjustments.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry to avoid trapping solvents.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used to build up color and atmosphere over a monochrome underpainting. Glazing adds transparent color, while scumbling adds semi-opaque texture and tone. This method was widely practiced by old masters to achieve luminosity and depth.

Grisaille Underpainting

A monochrome base using black, ultramarine, and white to establish values and composition before introducing color. This separates the structural work from the color work.

Atmospheric Tonality

Using tonal variations to suggest weather and mood, particularly in winter scenes. This connects to the 'tonal' phase of Dutch landscape art.

common pitfalls

→Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can lead to muddiness and cracking.
→Over-mixing colors on the palette instead of layering them on the canvas, which defeats the purpose of glazing and scumbling.
→Ignoring the 'mental extraction' of red and yellow in the underpainting, leading to a weak value structure.
→Failing to achieve the vigorous contrast between solid forms and the sky, resulting in a flat composition.

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific details of the buildings in Alkmaar as depicted in this painting are not described in the sources.
·The exact year of creation is not available, so the precise evolution of Ruysdael's style at that moment is inferred from general period trends.
·The specific pigments used by Ruysdael for this painting are not listed; the palette is inferred from general old master practices and the described technique.
·The exact proportion of sky to cityscape in this specific work is not stated, though the general tendency is noted.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Salomon van Ruysdael↗
- part 8 — applied to Style characteristics (classical phase, contrasts)
- part 1 — applied to Composition (sky dominance) and period context
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- part 1 — applied to Definition of topographical view and cityscape genre

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

A horizontal composition dominated by a frozen river with a bustling winter scene: the eye is drawn first to the crenellated tower with red flag on the left, which anchors the cityscape and casts long shadows across the foreground. The light source is from the upper left-center, illuminating the cream and tan facades of distant buildings while keeping the foreground figures in cooler shadow. A red tent gathering in the lower left frames the activity, and the human figures—skating, walking, gathered in small clusters—create visual rhythm across the white-grey ice that recedes toward the hazy city.

value structure

Darkest values are concentrated in the tower's shadow side, the red tent interior, and the figures' clothing and silhouettes. The sky and distant clouds are the lightest passages, with bright cream-white highlights on cloud tops. The middle values—warm taupes in the buildings, cool greys in the ice and atmospheric haze—form the bulk of the painting. Squinting reveals three clear zones: dark foreground activity, luminous mid-ground buildings, and luminous-but-soft sky.

observed palette and mixes

#695d50
Burnt umber + ultramarine blue, darkened
Tower shadows, tent interior, figures' dark clothing and silhouettes
#bab59f
Yellow ochre + ultramarine + white, warm grey
Mid-tone walls of distant buildings, most of the cityscape
#899796
Ultramarine blue + burnt umber + white, cool grey
Sky shadows, atmospheric haze over distant water, shadow areas
#a1a394
Yellow ochre + ultramarine + white, greenish-grey
Frozen river surface, giving it a subtle icy-green cast
#dbc9a6
Yellow ochre + titanium white, warm tan
Sunlit building facades, lit edges of the tent, foreground highlights
#ecd7ad
Titanium white + pale yellow ochre, pale cream
Brightest sky highlights, cloud tops, snow patches on buildings

edges and brushwork

The tower and foreground figures show crisp, defined edges that demand attention; the distant cityscape softens considerably, with buildings losing architectural detail and edges becoming diffuse. Brushwork is smooth and blended throughout the sky and water, with only subtle texture in the ice surface and fabric of the tent. The overall handling is restrained and atmospheric—this is not a painting where individual brushstrokes are meant to be seen, but rather a unified luminous whole.

a working sequence

01
Value underpainting
Lay in a loose monochromatic wash establishing the three value zones: dark foreground shadows (burnt umber thinned), mid-value buildings and ice (yellow ochre + ultramarine), light sky (ultramarine + white). Don't aim for detail—just establish the horizontal band structure and where the tower's cast shadow falls across the ice.
02
Sky and clouds
Paint the upper half with a warm, soft sky wash (ultramarine + white + touch of yellow ochre). Blend in the cream and pale yellow into the upper middle area, suggesting diffuse light from the left. Shape the clouds with cooler grey (ultramarine + white) in shadow areas, keeping edges soft and atmospheric. The sky should feel hazy and luminous, not crisp.
03
Distant cityscape
Paint the middle-distance buildings and tower in warm taupe (yellow ochre + ultramarine + white). Suggest the tower's crenellations and multiple spires with minimal detail—they should read from a distance. Keep this layer loose and slightly cooler in shadow areas on the tower's right side. The city should feel atmospheric and recede, so avoid sharp edges or bright colors.
04
Frozen water surface
Lay in the ice with a greenish-cool grey (yellow ochre + ultramarine + white). Vary the value subtly—slightly darker in the middle-distance, lighter near the tent where light sits directly. Avoid pure white; the ice should read as a solid, frozen surface with a slight greenish cast, not snow-covered.
05
Foreground figures and activity
Paint the silhouettes and clusters of figures scattered across the ice in dark burnt umber or ultramarine-dominant mixtures. Pay attention to their scale relative to the tower and buildings—they should be small enough to read as distant skaters and walkers. Vary their heights and groupings; some stand, some crouch, some cluster together. Use these figures to create visual rhythm leading the eye across the composition.
06
Red tent and shadow gathering
Block in the red tent with a warm red-brown (burnt sienna or alizarin + burnt umber) in the lower left. Keep the red darker and more muted than it might appear at first—it's not bright. Paint the crowd sheltering beneath it with dark silhouettes and a few warm faces and clothing folds. The tent anchors the foreground activity and is your darkest, most saturated area.
07
Shadow details and refinement
Deepen the shadows cast by the tower across the ice with a cool, dark glaze (ultramarine + burnt umber). Refine the tent's folds with warmer highlights on the upper fabric. Add a few crisp details to foreground figures—hats, arms, skating poses—to make them read as active. Keep the distant figures suggested rather than detailed.
08
Atmospheric unification and finish
Step back and check that receding elements (buildings, distant figures) are softer and cooler than foreground elements. Glaze a warm cream or pale ochre over sunlit building facades to enhance the warm light coming from the left. Add final bright highlights to clouds and bright snow patches. Soften any harsh edges in the mid-ground to enhance atmospheric perspective. The painting should feel unified under a cool, diffuse winter light.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Making the sky too blue or too uniform—it must be warmer toward the horizon and include soft cream and pale ochre highlights, not just grey and blue.
Painting the ice too white or too bright; it needs a subtle greenish-grey cast and should be noticeably darker than the sky to read as a solid, frozen surface.
Overdetailing the distant tower and cityscape; these should suggest architecture from a distance with minimal crisp edges—let atmospheric haze and soft edges do the work.
Scaling the figures too large or placing them inconsistently; the spatial relationships are crucial to convincing perspective, and the skaters should be small enough to feel genuinely distant from the tower.
Making the red tent too saturated or too large; it's a focal point but should read as a modest gathering and darker, more muted red than first appearances suggest.
Losing the luminosity of the sky by overworking it; keep the upper half relatively loose and blended to maintain the sense of diffuse winter light.

measured difficulty