Herman Langelius 1660

This is Frans Hals’s oil on canvas portrait of Herman Langelius, painted sometime in the first half of the 17th century. Hals was a leading portrait painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by new ideas about humanity. Hals rejects traditional, formal representations of his sitters. Instead, we see Langelius with a turned head, a shadow falling across his face, and a lopsided collar, all of which give the image a sense of immediacy. The book in his hands suggests literacy and learning, important virtues of the era. But I am drawn to his eyes, alight with an almost mischievous intelligence. Hals captures not just likeness, but the spirit of the man. During the Golden Age, the Dutch Republic was becoming a world power. At the same time, citizens grappled with what these new social roles should look like. In this painting, Hals seems to capture a moment of self-reflection, as Langelius considers his place in this changing world.