Frans Hals – the master of facial expression – is now smiling at the visitors through the many delightful and touching portraits at the Rijksmuseum, as part of the “Frans Hals – Strokes of Genius” exhibition.
The exhibition consists of 48 portraits, and is a collaboration between the Rijksmuseum, the National Gallery in London, and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn about Hals’s style, development as an artist, and to see it ‘in the flesh’ with so many examples of his unique approach to portraiture. While Rembrandt was known for capturing the inner world of the sitter, Hals’s smiling, laughing, flirting, playful, genuine sitters exude warmth and individual personality.
Perhaps Hals’s biggest achievement is his ability to draw the viewer into the sitter’s intimate world. Malle Babbe (1633-1655) is old and worn out, but her carefree smile prompts us to want to know more of her humble existence. The two children’s portraits, Girl Singing and Boy Playing the Violin (c.1628, see above) – modelled probably by Hals’s own children – radiate with joy and innocence as they engage in singing and playing the violin. I found myself wanting to stay near them just a little longer as they filled my heart with yearning for life. And the side by side positioned portraits of a gentleman (Portrait of Isaac Abrahamsz Massa, 1626) and a peasant (Portrait of a Man in a Slouch Hat, c.1660), captured in the same pose, made me think of the similarities in their humanity on the backdrop of the differences in their clothes and presentation.
As much I love the smaller, more personal style of exhibitions, the bigger ‘blockbusters’ do give the opportunity to witness the change and the development in the artist’s style over the years. Through more paintings, more details, more specifics of the works themselves we get the privilege and the pleasure to witness their interpretation of the world they lived in, experiencing a little of their personality.
