Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast

In the eighth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss a painting titled 'The Rommelpot Player', which is in the collection of the Kimbell Art Museum; which it has been part of, since 1964. It was purchased by the Kimbells, in 1951. Slive numbered it five, in his 1974 Hals catalogue. Most Hals scholars name it a copy, or variant, or a replica, etc. Grimm names it 'workshop'. In the work, a central figure, an older man, is prominent in the foreground, smiling broadly as he interacts with a group of children. He holds a rommelpot, drawing the viewer’s attention with his extended arm. He gazes left toward the viewer; with a ruddy complexion, full beard, and glinting eyes suggesting a moment of fleeting joyful. This is a difficult painting to appreciate, as well as visually decipher. But sustained looking offers unexpected nuances in finding variation, of attention to finish and detail in different patches across the canvas; the search being a true intellectual delight.

In the seventh episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' portrait of 'Willem van Heythuyen', which is in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek, in Munich; which it has been part of, since 1969. The painting was purchased for about 18 million Euros, c. 2024; or, about 12 million 1969 German Marks—the most expensive painter ever sold at the time. Slive numbered the work number 31, in his 1974 catalogue; Grimm catalogued it as number 23, in his 1989 catalogue. It is a full-length portrait of Heythuysen (c. 1590-1650), with his right hand on his hip and his left hand resting on the hilt of a sword. He is set against a large draped curtain in a rich burgundy hue on the right, while to his left, an Italianate landscape is visible—in which a couple can be seen. Standing confidently, Heythuysen is fashionable, and proud; which together, make for a lusciously landscaped life-sized portrait, by Frans Hals.

In the sixth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' double portrait of 'Catherina Hooft and Her Nurse', which is in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie, in Berlin; which is has been part of, since 1874. The painting was secured on behalf of the museum by Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929), and the painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars, universally. Slive numbered the work number 14, in his 1974 catalogue; Grimm catalogued it as number 5, in his 1989 catalogue. The painting features a woman and a child—a nurse and a baby—who is Catherine Hooft, who lived from 1618 to 1691; who was born into the wealthy and powerful regent classes of Amsterdam; and who was related to many of the power players of the day. She was the second wife of the once Mayor of Amsterdam, Cornelis de Graeff (1599-1664). Much of what is known about the painting today is due to the work of Dutch art historian, and archivist, Bas Dudok van Heel (1938-), who is responsible for reconstructing the painting's provenance. The painting is hardly ever on exhibition, outside of Berlin, and was last included in a Hals exhibition, in 1989.

In the fifth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' genre painting titled Laughing Fisherboy, which is in a private collection. The painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars Cornelius Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), Ernst Wilhelm Moes (1864-1912), Wilhelm Valentiner (1880-1958), and Seymour Slive (1920-2014). Slive numbered the work number 55, in his 1974 catalogue. The painting shows a lively portrait of a young man, caught in a moment of laughter, set against a backdrop of a dune landscape. The subject is more than likely standing, facing the viewer, and he is turned slightly to his right. His body is angled away, but his head is turned toward the viewer, engaging the viewer with direct eye contact. His mouth is open wide as if he is laughing heartily, and his eyes are crinkled with look of joy. The expression is vivid and dynamic, suggesting a spontaneous response to an amusing situation. The painting is located in a private collection and is hardly ever on view; it was last exhibited, in 1962.

In the fourth episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals' portrait of Michiel de Wael, which is in the collection of the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars Cornelius Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), Seymour Slive (1920-2014), and Claus Grimm (1930). Slive numbered the work number 85, in his 1974 catalogue. The painting depicts a man, who has throughout history, either been identified as Michiel de Wael, or not, depending on the art historian in question. He is portrayed at a three quarter length, and is turned slightly to his right; wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, framing his face and adding to the proud sense of his stature. His hair is not fully visible, but a mustache and goatee are neatly groomed, giving him a look that was fashionable among the Dutch gentry of the time. More recently, he has been identified by historians and curators as being the pendant to a panel painting of Cunera van Baersdorp, who hailed from a political family in Leiden. The Taft Museum of Art is a fixed collection, meaning that this painting is hardly ever on view, outside of Cincinnati—and was last exhibited, in the late-1950s.

In the third episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I discuss Frans Hals and Claes van Heussen's 1630 'Fruit and Vegetable Seller', which is in a private collection in England, and is hardly ever on display. The painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars Cornelius Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), Seymour Slive (1920-2014), and Claus Grimm (1930). Slive numbered the work number 70, in his 1974 catalogue. The painting depicts a market scene focused on a central female figure, who stands at a three-quarters angle to the viewer, her head turned to face the viewer, with a faint, coy suggestion of a smile. It is the only painting by Hals to have a date, that is not a commissioned portrait; instead, straddling the line between a still life, market-scene, and a genre painting. It is long thought that it was not painted to be a 'portrait', in the traditional sense; and so the sitter's identity is unknown. Near the end of the episode, parallels are drawn between large scale paintings depicting fruits, vegetables, pork, and meats—like those produced in Antwerp during the 1500s and early 1600s, by artists such as Joachim Beuckelaer (1533-1574) and Frans Snyders (1579-1657)—and that of Hals and Van Heussen.

In the second episode of 'Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast, I discuss Hals' c. 1647-1650 'A Family Group in a Landscape', which hangs at the National Gallery in London. The painting has long been attributed to Hals by scholars Cornelius Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), and Seymour Slive(1920-2014), though never by Claus Grimm (1930). Slive numbered the work number 176, in his 1974 catalogue. The painting shows a family of nine, and a nurse, for a total of ten figures; making it the most populated painting by Hals, excluding his famed militia pieces, most of which are housed in the Frans Hals Museum. Slive introduced a debate around the painting concerning the landscape in the background at left, of which Neil MacLaren (1909-1988) first proposed was painted by another painter, in a publication he authored in 1960. In this episode, this debate is unraveled in detail, concerning its origins, its evolvement over the years since 1960, and describes the interaction of the figures on the canvas. To conclude, future research directions are outlined, concerning what could be studied in this work—both attribution debate and concerning the identification of its sitters—of this most fabulously sumptuous, while also problematic, family painting, 'by' Frans Hals.

In the first episode of ‘Frans Hals Paintings—The Podcast’, I step inside the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to confront my favorite painting by the artist, which hangs in the ‘Gallery of Honor’, which also houses Rembrandt’s ‘The Nightwatch’ and Vermeer’s ‘The Milkmaid’. The painting discussed in this episode is entitled ‘Portrait of a Couple, Probably Isaac Abrahamsz Massa and Beatrix van der Laen’, dating from c. 1622. The painting has long been attributed to Hals, and is catalogued by many of the artist's connoisseurs over the years—including by Seymour Slive (1920-2014), in his publication from 1974, within which it is number 17. It is the only painting by the artist to show a couple, which is also why it has long been thought to be a marriage portrait. It is one of only four other family portraits by the artist to have survived the test of time, and it came into the collection of the Rijksmuseum, in 1852. Join me as I explain what makes this painting by Frans Hals so unique amongst the paintings in his oeuvre; what makes its composition so seductive and entrancing; and therefore, exciting to spend time viewing in person, in Amsterdam.

'Frans Hals Paintings–The Podcast', is a new show hosted by John Bezold focusing on the c. 222 Hals paintings as physical objects, who each portrays, and their appreciation over time. The podcast discusses one painting per episode, in no set order. Some episodes even confront these artworks in their (mostly Dutch) galleries and museums, to contextualize and share the joy, of viewing Frans Hals' paintings in person.