Better Than A Mirror – Frans Hals and Fine Art of Portraiture

Presented by Albert Godetzky

Characterised by quick, bravura brushstrokes, Frans Hals’s portraits of nobles, merchants, actors, friends and family members created a sensation in seventeenth century Holland. In order to ‘breathe life’ into his subject, Hals incorporated vanguard modes of representation into his practice, which reveal his and his society’s understanding of time and of human life itself. This lecture builds on new research, exploring Hals’s art in wider historical as well as scientific contexts. We will examine the ways in which Hals engineered his portraits to suit his clientele — the citizens of Holland, a society radically transformed by the Dutch Revolt. Finally, we will consider the impact of Hals’s painterly style and his innovations in portraiture on later generations of artists.

Dates and Locations

Saturday 14 March 2026 Noosa (QLD)

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