Hunters in the Snow, 1996

Reinhard Behrens travels to the Northern Renaissance in his tin submarine to visit The Hunters in the Snow, a 1565 oil on wood painting by Pieter Bruegel (c.1525–1569).

The original painting which has been made popular as a Christmas card in the late 20th century depicts a winter’s scene in which three hunters return from an expedition accompanied by their dogs. It does not appear to have been a successful trip; the hunters trudge wearily, and the dogs appear downcast. It is a calm, cold, overcast day; the colours are muted, and wood smoke hangs in the air. Several adults and a child prepare food outside an inn and in the distance, figures can be seen ice skating and participating in winter games on a frozen river. The jagged mountain peaks in the distance are entirely fictional. Behrens has created his own entirely fictional Flemish excursion which he has edited to suit his own personal narrative of exploration and parallel worlds.