Fran Hals: Painting Analysis

Leaving a visible brush stroke in a painting was rarely heard of in 17th century Dutch art. However, this painterly style was mastered by Fran Hals. Hals used this style in his portrait painting to give them a sense of naturalism, and make the viewer feel like they could really connect with the subject of the painting1. This style set Hals apart from other Dutch painters of the time, making him unique and popular.

During the 17th Century, the Dutch Republic had a booming economy. They were excellent mapmakers, and specialized in building boats. Additionally, the Dutch used their limited crop land to grow profitable crops such as hops and tobacco. This thriving economy caused urbanization of many Dutch cities. With the growth in the economy,

Hals specialized in both individual and group portrait paintings4. He used quick, painterly brush strokes, and contrasts in colors to add detail to his images. As Hals career progresses his quick, visible brush strokes became even more apparent5. Figure 2 compares “Portrait of Sara Andriesdr” and “Malle Babbe.” Both images are a close–up on the women’s faces. In “Malle Babbe” the brush strokes are much more apparent. Hals did not try to flatter the sitter but tried to show their true self in his work6,7. He painted his subjects as he saw them, even if it meant wrinkles, and double chins. A double chin can be seen in the left portion of figure 2, depicting Sara Andriesdr. This made the painting informal and down to earth. Patrons felt that they could better connect with this truthful, lose style of painting8. A key skill of Hals was his ability to paint group portraits. With group portraits, the viewer tends to connect with the whole group or each individual, but not both. Hals was able to paints each individual to their true self but also show the relationship amongst the group as a whole. Hals is famous for his portraits of the civic guards or other charitable institutions9. Figure 3 shows Hals’ “Haarlem Militia Company of St. George.” Each individual is distinguishable and well painted. However, the group also has a real “snap-shot” feel. The men are chatting amongst each other and the view can get a sense of the connection between them. Contrasting that to Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem’s “Banquet of Officers of the St. George Civic Guard,” shown in figure 4, the group appears more posed and idealized. In figure 4, all of the men appear very similar with idealized oval heads, “perfect” noses, and similar skin