Winterlandschaft, Schlittschuhläufer bei Zelten auf dem Kanal, ein Husar umarmt ein Getränke haltendes Mädchen 

Abraham Teerlink painted this winter landscape on paper, depicting skaters near tents on a canal, where a Hussar embraces a girl holding a drink. Teerlink, who moved to Rome in 1808, belonged to a generation of Dutch artists who, having witnessed the revolutionary and Napoleonic eras, sought to capture scenes of everyday life. The artist shows us a society on the brink of transformation, one where the old hierarchical order is softening, if not dissolving. The embracing Hussar, a member of the military, reaching out to a civilian girl becomes a symbol of changing social dynamics. Yet, questions arise: Is this interaction consensual? Does it challenge or reinforce traditional power dynamics between genders and classes? The wintry scene is both a beautiful depiction of landscape and an implicit commentary on the shifting social landscape of the time.