Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
frans hals' style
• Hals'forteisportraits.Ofhis240paintings,195areindi-
vidual or group portraits, mostly of Haarlem's citizens.
• Hispaintingsarelife-sizeandrealistic,capturingevery-
day people, even downright ugly people, without air-
brushing out their blemishes or character flaws.
• Halsusesrough,Impressionisticbrushwork,whereafew
thick, simple strokes blend at a distance to create details.
He worked quickly, often making the rough sketch the
final, oil version.
• Hisstop-actiontechniquecapturesthesitterinmid-
motion. Aided by his rough brushwork, this creates a blur
that suggests the person is still moving.
• Halsadds3-Ddepthtootherwisehorizontal,widescreen
canvases. (Men with their elbows sticking out serve to
define the foreground.)
• Hiscanvasesareunifiedbypeoplewearingmatching
colors, using similar poses and gestures, and gathered in
symmetrical groups.
• Hispaintingshavearelaxed,light-hearted,evencomi-
cal atmosphere. In group portraits, the subjects interact
with one another. Individual portraits meet your eyes as
if meeting an old friend.
• His works show nothing religious—no Madonnas,
Crucifixions, angels, or Bible scenes. If anything, he
imbues everyday objects with heavenly beauty and
grants ordinary people the status of saints.
not clinging to each other, suggesting mature partners more than
lovey-dovey newlyweds. Married couples
in Golden Age Holland divvied up the
work—men ran the business, women ran
the home—and prided themselves on
their mutual independence. (Even today
in progressive Holland, fewer women
join the workforce than in many other
industrial nations.) Cornelia's body is
as imposing as her husband's, with big,
manly hands and a practical, slightly
suspicious look. The intricate work in
her ruff collar tells us that Hals certainly
could sweat the details when it suited his purpose.
Regents of the St. Elisabeth Hospital of Haarlem
(1641)
These aren't the Dutch Masters cigar boys, though it looks like
Rembrandt's famous (and later)
De Staalmeesters
(see page 124 in
the Rijksmuseum Tour). It's a board meeting, where five men in
