Arcadópolis
The Merry Drinker
Frans Hals, c. 1628–1630
What you see
A man with a mustache and short beard, wearing a broad black hat, appears from the waist up and very close. He raises his right hand, palm open, on the left side of the picture, and with the other he holds a glass filled with a golden drink. His cheeks are flushed, his mouth half open and his eyes fixed on us. He wears an ochre doublet with a lace collar.
The brushstrokes are plain to see: quick, loose and barely blended, especially in the raised hand and the lace. The warm gray background stays out of the way. Watch for the oval medallion hanging from his belt, the glint of light on the glass and the painter’s small initials on the right, halfway up.
About Frans Hals
Frans Hals lived in Haarlem and was the great portrait painter of joy: his sitters smile, laugh and seem about to speak. He painted with quick, loose brushstrokes, very modern for his time. Van Gogh and Manet admired his way of painting.
More by Frans Hals
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