When told I was going to the Frans Hals Exhibition at the National Gallery, I didn't know what to expect. I was even more curious when my normally non-prescriptive grandma (who I was going to see it with) told me to research Frans Hals (Antwerp 1582- Haarlem 1666), “You must know about Frans Hals before we go.”

 

I see now why she said that. After reading completely opposing reviews, I was really at a loss what to expect. And happily, the exhibition surprised me in so many ways. 

 

My interest was peaked the most at four of his paintings, the first of which covered an entire wall. The painting is called “The Meagre Company” and as I read the description, I was surprised to find that not only had the Amsterdam Civic Guard commissioned a portrait from a non-Amsterdam painter, but also that the Civic Guard members refused to sit in neighbouring Haarlem where Hals worked. Hals in turn refused to paint the second half in Amsterdam, meaning that only the left half was painted by him! A funny illustration of the competition between two cities of great Dutch commerce during the Dutch Golden Age. 

 

Another painting I found curious was that of the merchant Willem Van Heythijsen. What surprised me about this painting was his posture. He’s swinging back on his chair, relaxed and in a relatively informal setting. This bewildered me because most of the other paintings were very stiff and formal.

 

While my concentration usually fades towards the end of an exhibition, here it didn't. The last room (charting Hals' latest paintings, some done in his 80s) drew my attention the most. Two paintings have stayed in my mind. The first is that of an unknown man done in the 1660s. This painting is surprising because toward the bottom right, the paint has spilt or fallen down the canvas. What is even more startling is that Hals not only seems to have done an amazing painting very quickly but he has also not corrected himself and therefore I can almost see him painting it. The second painting, which in my opinion was his best, is titled “Unknown Woman”. Produced between the years 1655 and 1660, the woman Hals painted seems to be the most layered and complicated of all his paintings. Not only is the faint smile very memorable, but her eyes seem to see through all facades. 

 

One of the best I have been to, the Credit Suisse Exhibition of Frans Hals at the National Gallery London is open until 21st January 2024.