Franz Hals Biography, The Life and Works of the Artist

Franz Hals was a Dutch painter born in 1580. His father was a cloth-maker lived in Flanders. Hals Family returned to Holland, to Haarlem where under Karel Van Mander he completed his studies in 1600-03. Hals became the master of Sir Lukas guild in 1610 and they elected him as its deacon in 1644. Franz Hal’s life history is not well known because he spend whole of his life working in Haarlem only. It is believed that only in 1630’s he went to Amsterdam for a very short period and may be in 1616 he went to Antwerp. His works were outstanding due to which he gained lot of popularity in his lifetime but he spends most of his life in poverty.

Till the time Franz Hals reached the age of 30’s his works were unknown. He was mainly a portrait painter and painted more then 300 single and group portraits. He mostly made Dutch group portraits like in 1616 he made Banquet of the officers of the Civic Guards in 1616. He made later many other group portraits like Banquets of the officers of the civic guard of St. Andrews in 1633 and Banquets of the officers of the St. George civic guard 1627. The characters shown in these portraits were looking free and easy going. In Independent Holland Franz Hals was a painter of heroic generation.

Franz Hals also painted the portraits of the people of lower status like people who visit Haarlem taverns, markets etc. Some of such paintings are Gypsy girl, Malle Babbe. But in 1640’s new Burgher’s preferred to have beautiful and elegant paintings and Hals paintings were not up to their expectations. Due to this reason Hals was loosing his customers. He started facing financial problems and became pessimistic. His paintings shown his condition. In his last days also he completed two portraits the governors of old men’s Almhouse at Haarleem and The Lady-Governor’s of the old men’s Almhouse at Haarleem. Franz Hals the famous Dutch painter died in 1666 in Haarlem.