Essay Exhibit 84: Frans Hals

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Compare and Contrast Essay 2
Exhibit 84: Frans Hals; “Buffoon Playing a Lute”, 1623, oil on canvas
Exhibit 85: Judith Leyster, “Young Flute player”, 1635, oil on canvas
Frans Hals born in Antwerp, painted both portraiture and genre painting, but he was mostly known for being a portraitist. His painting was one of loose brushwork and animating his portraits. The “Buffoon Playing a Lute” is a genre portrait that is realistic yet the painting has hidden meaning. Hals’ lutist is seen looking upwards and smiling normally at someone whom we can not see. The lutists smile which is wide and seemly mischievous, seems to light up the face, and also seeming to give the painting life. The realisticness of this painting is, “due to the fact that the artist studied a real man, the same model who is found in several other of his pictures.” (www.louvre.com) So not only does the smile give the portrait life but painting the man realistically also helps it give a new definition of real. Overall looking at this painting, it looks to have …show more content…

Leyster was a student of Frans Hals who seemingly was able to mimic some of his ability for loose brushwork. Her painting used vertical and diagonal lines and she used earthy colored browns and greys. The painting, “Young Flute Player” is a realistic painting. The boy is sitting in his chair lost in his music and behind him are other instruments, the violin and a recorder. “Leyster takes us to a blank background to reinforce all the details within.” (www.kweiseye.com) She does this in order for us to take in the full view, for example, his clothes that billow out from him or the patterns on the top of the chair. With the background not bustling with activity but being a simple brown background, your attention gets drawn to the boy playing the music. And with your attention on the boy you look and stare to try to “hear” what has him so intensely focused

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