Frans (I) Hals (1582/83-1666), Portrait of a Man, c. 1655-60
Frans (I) Hals, Portrait of a Man, c. 1655-60. kms3847
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Directing a sombre, perhaps somewhat melancholy gaze out at us, this man looks at us with a physical and mental immediacy that bridges the 350 years separating his space from ours.
The artist did not aim for idealisation. The asymmetrical features and jaundiced skin tones are depicted exactly as they are. The hands are gathered around a pair of gloves, closing the man off from the world.
Baroque Classicism
The calm, static pose is typical of the Baroque Classicism that infused Dutch art from around 1650 and a few decades ahead.
Style and technique
The coarse mode of painting is a distinctive Baroque trait of Hals’ portrait. Using rapid, visible brushstrokes painted thinly and wet on wet, the figure has been fixed in a simple, effective manner. Even though the palette is limited to black, white, ochre, and red, the costumes and all other parts of the painting have a great variety of colour.
Close-up or another view
Here you can zoom-in on the work for a close-up view of all of the details. - Or you can gain a new understanding about the work by watching films where researchers, conservators and artists talk about the work from their viewpoint.
Zoom and see the details
Frans Hals I, Portrait of a Man, 1655-1660.
Download the image in high resolution | CC BY
More views of the work – see the films
The artist Husk Mit Navn tells about Frans Hals' painting: Portrait of a Man.
Producer: Martin Køhler Jørgensen
Contributory: Husk Mit Navn
Our conservator Anne Haack Christensen tells about Frans Hals' painting: Portrait of a Man
Producer: Martin Køhler Jørgensen
Contributory: Anne Haack Christensen
