Frans Hals

Timeline

1. 1582–1630Haarlem · NetherlandsHis family moved from Antwerp to Haarlem, and he joined the painters' guild around 1610. Early on, influenced by Caravaggio's chiaroscuro, he won civic commissions with individual portraits and genre scenes, gradually establishing his personal style of capturing expression with rapid brushwork.
2. 1630–1651Haarlem · NetherlandsIn the 1630s–1650s he created large group portraits such as Officers of the Saint George Civic Guard and Officers of the Saint Adrian Civic Guard, revolutionizing the Dutch militia portrait tradition with dynamic compositions and differentiated individual characters. He also took on numerous portraits of citizens, scholars, and merchants, reaching the peak of his reputation.
3. 1651–1666Haarlem · NetherlandsBetween 1651 and 1660 commissions declined and debts mounted, yet he still completed late masterpieces such as the series of male and female regents of the Haarlem almshouse (c. 1664), with ever more economical brushwork. He died on August 26, 1666, and was buried in the Grote Kerk (Saint Bavo Church) in Haarlem. His posthumous reputation languished for a time and was only reassessed in the nineteenth century.