5 most iconic paintings by Frans Hals (apart from 'The Laughing Cavalier')

The man who is credited with creating some of the most beautiful and happy portraits of all time is Frans Hals. A painter of the Dutch Golden Age, Hals is known for his lively, realistic, and humorous portraits. The paintings he created were not symmetrical or particularly aesthetic and pleasing, but they were loose, raw, and real. The smiles were genuine, the subjects were human, and everything felt very candid about the portraits he made. And the fact that he did not polish his paintings to make them look ‘extra’ is what really caught people’s eye.

And here we mention some of the most iconic paintings by Hals, apart from his most famous ‘The Laughing Cavalier’.

A beautiful portrait, this one is a full-length painting of a couple, both well-dressed, and rather wealthy too. They are sitting together in a peaceful garden, and the painting is rather elegant, but not stiff. The woman looks directly at the viewer, a slight smile on her face, while the man leans in towards her, casually resting one hand on his hip and the other on his chest.
The background is of a beautifully kept garden with trees, buildings in the back, and a natural charm.

Another beautiful and candid portrait is ‘Two Boys Singing’. It is lively, charming, and features two young boys engaged in their singing and playing an instrument. They have a book kept in front of them, and are looking at it for the next words.
Hals has beautifully captured their expressions and posture with quick, visible brushstrokes, making the scene feel alive, almost as if you are looking at a photograph.

It would not be a false statement that Hals was pretty fascinated with the ‘skull’ as a prop. There are atleast 4 paintings where people have held a skull in their hands while Hals made their portraits.
And ‘Boy with a Skull’ is one of them. In this painting, a young boy holds a skull in one hand and seems to be in mid-speech or performance as the other hand is raised, as if referring to someone or making a point. The headgear he wears is also stylish and flimsy with a long feather attached to it.

Another beauty from Hals’s brush is ‘Boy Playing a Violin’, a painting that looks very much like a photograph. It shows a young violinist in mid-performance, his face lit with enthusiasm and his bow captured mid-stroke.
There is a slight tilt in his face, his eyes are facing upwards, almost as if he is playing a high tone, and on his face is a smile of satisfaction as he realises he is doing a good job.
The colours on the painting are also bright and beautiful and the rosy cheeks and nose are highlighted well by Hals.

Happiness and joy were Hals’s favourite genres when it came to portraits. And who is more merry than a drunk man?
‘The Merry Drinker’ is a cheerful portrait of a man enjoying a glass of wine. In one hand is the wine glass, the other is raised as he is probably talking to someone or making an expression, and his clothes are those of the working class. A wide hat, beige outfit, soft expression, wide grin on the face, and eyes that look like they will change with the next sentence.

(All paintings from: Frans Hals/Org/Website)