Frans Hals

Hals, Frans (circa 1582-1666) was the first great artist of the 17th-century Dutch school and is regarded as one of the most brilliant of all portraitists. Almost all his works are portraits and even those that are not (some genre scenes, and an occasional religious picture) are portrait-like in character. His greatest gift as a portraitist was to capture a sense of fleeting movement and expression and thereby convey a compelling feeling of vivacity.
He was born in Antwerp, the son of Flemish parents who moved to Holland after the city fell to the Spaniards in 1585. His parents had settled in Haarlem by 1591 and he spent his long life there. Hals had two painter brothers and five painter sons, but the only artist of substance among them was his brother Dirk (1591-1656), who painted charming small interior scenes. Apart from his sons, Hals taught numerous pupils. His reputation did not long outlive him, however, and few critics before 1850 praised him. It was only in the second half of the 19th century that there was a renewed appreciation of his genius. The spontaneity of his work appealed to the generation of the Impressionists, and from about 1870 to about 1920 he was one of the most popular of the Old Masters, becoming a model for society portraitists. Lord Hertford's purchase of his most famous work, "The Laughing Cavalier" (1624), for the then enormous sum of 51,000 francs in 1865, was a milestone in the revival of his fortunes, and the buoyant confidence of his paintings later made him a particular favorite with the new generation of fabulously rich American collectors who were beginning to dominate the picture market. This explains why so many works by him are in American collections.
		"The Laughing Cavalier" (1624) Oil on canvas, 86 x 69 cm. The Wallace Collection, London, UK.
		"Buffoon playing a lute" (circa 1623-24) Oil on canvas, 70 × 62 cm - 27.56 × 24.41 in. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France.
		"The company of Captain Reinier Reael and Lieutenant Cornelis Michielsz" (1633-37) Oil on canvas, 209 × 429 cm - 82.28 × 168.9 in. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Nederlands.
		"The company of Captain Reinier Reael and Lieutenant Cornelis Michielsz (left)" (1633-37) Oil on canvas, 209 × 429 cm - 82.28 × 168.9 in. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Nederlands.
		"The company of Captain Reinier Reael and Lieutenant Cornelis Michielsz (right)" (1633-37) Oil on canvas, 209 × 429 cm - 82.28 × 168.9 in. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Nederlands.
		"Portrait of Isaac Abrahamsz" (1626) Oil on canvas, 79.7 × 65.1 cm - 31.38 × 25.63 in. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada.
		"The Gipsy Girl" (1628-30) Oil on panel, 58 × 52 cm - 22.83 × 20.47 in. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France.
		"Malle Babbe" (1633-35) Oil on canvas, 75 × 64 cm - 29.53 × 25.2 in. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.
Text source: various.
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