 Frans Hals, A member of the Haarlem guard, c.1636, oil on canvas, Andrew, W. Mellon Collection. |
Frans Hals was one of the greatest artists of the Dutch school in the 17th Century. He is among the most brilliant portrait painters in Art History. We don´t know too much about his formation, but it is supposed that he started with Karel van Mander in Haarlem.
It is known that he had two brothers and five sons who were painters too. Fran Hals taught a lot of pupils for example Adrian Ostade.
Frans Hals doesn´t have preference to choose characters to portray. His picture is suitable to shown not only high class people, but also bohemian men oppressed by life. Psychology in each character painted is a common sign in every Fran Hals´ portrait.
His manner of painting is alla prima, his brushstroke is very spontaneous and shading. Frans Hals is considered like an important antecedent of Impressionism. His pictures are distributed between The Rijksmuseum and The Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem.
(Click the images to enlarge)
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Frans Hals, Banquet of the Officers of the St.George Civic Guard, 1616, oil on canvas, 175 x 324 cm, Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem. |
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Frans Hals, Family portrait in a landscape, c.1620, oil on canvas, 151 x 163´3 cm, Viscount Boyne, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. |
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Frans Hals, The Laughing Cavalier, 1624, oil on canvas, 83 x 67 cm, Wallace Collection, London. |
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Frans Hals, Banquet of the Officers of the S.Hadrian Civic Guard Company, c.1627, oil on canvas, 179 x 275´5 cm, Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem. |
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Frans Hals, The Merry Drinker, 1628-1630, oil on canvas, 81 x 66´5 cm, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. |
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Frans Hals, The Gypsy Girl, 1628-1630, oil on wood, 58 x 52 cm, Louvre, Paris. |
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Frans Hals, Regents of the St.Elizabeth Hospital of Haarlem, 1641, oil on canvas, 153 x 252 cm, Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem. |
Written by:
Beatriz Aragonés Escobar.
Licentiate in Art History.
