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Frans Hals

c. 1580-1666 Netherlands/Baroque

Page 2.

 

Brief Biography-Frans Hals, a cloth worker’s son, was born in Antwerp, Belgium. At an early age, his family moved to Haarlem in Holland, where he stayed for the rest of his life.It is thought Karel van Mander tutored him; however, there is no substantial evidence of this fact, and Hals did not do history paintings as did Van Mander; he was solely a portraitist. Speculation has it that Hals was mainly self-taught.
He entered the Guild of Saint Luke in 1610 when he married for the first time. Unfortunately, his wife died shortly after having two children. His first important commission was in 1621 for the Banquet of the Officers of the Saint George Civic Guard Company, of which he was a member.
He married a second time to a peasant woman who bore him eight children, three of whom were to become artists. He lived a relatively poor life primarily due to having many children and was continually in debt. In addition, he allegedly had an excessive fondness for alcohol. As a result, he had to supplement his earnings by doing restoration work.
He did, however, have successful periods; he had a studio with several students and received many portrait commissions for families and the town’s nobility. One of his most famous students was Judith Jans Leyster. His brother, Dirck, of the same studio, also became a successful painter. While he endured financial difficulties in his later years, he continued to produce outstanding portraits until he died in 1666. He is particularly renowned for his group portraiture.

 

 

Click an Image to Enlarge

A Man Holding
a Skull

A Man Holding a Skull

Kloveniersschutterij
in Haarlem

Meeting of the Officers of the Kloveniersschutterij in Haarlem

Aletta
Hanemans

Aletta Hanemans

St George Civic
Guard-Haarlem

Officers of the Saint George Civic Guard-Haarlem

Unknown
Family Group

Family Group One

Isabela
Coymans

Issab ela Coymans

Married Couple
in a Garden

Married couple in a Garden

Yonker Ramp and
His Sweetheart

Yonker Ramp and Sweetheart

Gipsy
Girl

Gipsy Girl

Laughing
Cavalier

Laughing Cavalier

Singing
Boy

Singing Boy

Stephanus
Geraerdts

Stephanus Geraerdts

Laughing
Boy

A Laughing Boy

Family
Group

Landscape Two

The Merry
Drinker

The Merry Drinker

A
Woman

A Woman

Petrus
Scriverius

Petrus Scriverius

Regents of the Old
Men's Almshouse

Regents of the Old Men's Almshouse in Haarlem

Anna
van der Aar

Anna van der Aar

Regentesses of the
Old Men's Almshouse

Regentesses of the Old Men's Almshouse

Jacob
Olycan

Jacob Olycan

St George Civic
Guard Company

Officers and sergeants of Saint George Civic Guard Company

Family
Portrait

Family Portrait

The
Meagre Company

The Meagre Company

St Elizabeth
Hospital of Haarlem

Regents of the Saint Elizabeth Hospital of Haarlem

Portrait of
an Official

Portrait of an Official

St Hadrian Civic
Guard Company

Banquet of the Officers of the Saint Hadrian Civic Guard Company

Isaac
Abrahamsz-Massa

Isaac Abrahamsz-Massa

Two Boys
Singing

Two Boys Singing

Boy Violin
Playing

Boy Violin Playing

Fisher
Girl

Fisher Girl

Fisher
Boy

Fisher Boy