Hood Quarterly, spring/summer 2010
Frans Hals, an early-seventeenth-century Dutch painter, specialized in portraiture; his great success in Haarlem brought him many commissions. He was renowned for his portrayals of prominent civic groups and wealthy individuals.
Hals's loose style and vivid brushwork created a more spontaneous appearance than that of the work of many of his contemporaries; this imbued his paintings with a lively and direct manner. The innovative technique, while praised by many critics of the day, was not easily acquired by his pupils. However, the vitality and immediacy of Hals's style were qualities that impressionist artists later championed in the nineteenth century.
Although this picture was cut down, possibly in the seventeenth century, it nevertheless expresses wonderfully the power of Hals's portraits. It is also in excellent condition. The painting is an important addition to the museum's holdings from the golden age of Dutch art, which includes works by De Heem, Rembrandt, and Cornelis Saftleven.
Related Exhibitions
- The Golden Age: Seventeenth-Century Art in the Netherlands
- Myth, Allegory, and Everyday Life: Dutch and Flemish Art from the Collection of Raphael and Jane Bernstein and the Hood Museum of Art