Frans Hals, Portrait of Pieter van den Broecke and the “Not-So-Golden” Age of the Dutch Republic

Frans Hals' paintings demonstrate how, through bold poses, masterly brushstrokes, and emotional connections with his sitter, this virtuoso revolutionised portraiture into something entirely fresh and novel.

Praised for his ability to paint likenesses that seem to ‘live and breathe’, Hals is one of the artists who tells us most vividly about the 17th century Dutch Republic and its Harlem citizens. The cultural flourishing, enrichment and self-confidence of its elite was associated with requests for depictions of status and success. A growing middle and merchant class wanted to celebrate their services to the state and their exceptional accomplishments, with posterity for themselves, their family, and their social group.

Delving deeper, the pictorial representation of these achievements and economic prosperity had disturbing connections to the Dutch East India Company, the transatlantic slave trade, and the ruthless regime in the colonies.

Frans Hals, Pieter van den Broecke, 1633, oil on canvas, 71.2 cm x 61 cm, Kenwood House, London

delivered by Sophie Lachowsky

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