. The art of the Louvre, containing a brief history of the palace and of its collection of paintings, as well as descriptions and criticism of many of the principal pictures and their artists. ses, this has a truth, a sobriety, and a fine sense ofvalues that would make a triumph for any man whohad not achieved so much more. Of yet another calibre is the Portraits of the VanBeresteyn Family, in Salle XXII. This is a picture offather, mother, six children and two nurses. They areseated under the branches of a tree in the midst of anindeterminate landscape. Hals paid as little attentionto that as
. The art of the Louvre, containing a brief history of the palace and of its collection of paintings, as well as descriptions and criticism of many of the principal pictures and their artists. ses, this has a truth, a sobriety, and a fine sense ofvalues that would make a triumph for any man whohad not achieved so much more. Of yet another calibre is the Portraits of the VanBeresteyn Family, in Salle XXII. This is a picture offather, mother, six children and two nurses. They areseated under the branches of a tree in the midst of anindeterminate landscape. Hals paid as little attentionto that as he did to the compositional lines of this pictureas a whole. At the extreme left paterfamilias sits cross-legged on a slight hillock, his left arm thrown aroundhis wifes shoulder. She is sitting a little lower downon the ground beside him, and behind her stands one ofthe nurses pulling some cherries from the branch overher head for the small boy next his mother. His smilingprofile, as he raises his hands in anticipation, is charm-ingly frank and boyish. Slightly below him a smalldaughter kneels with her mothers arm about her waist,while she reaches up a bunch of flowers to her BOHEMIAN GIRLBy Frans Hals ■• - ^r^.^tff-kv; : SallCS £1F£. to fffDH. 197 This group has a certain continuity of interest that, ifloosely, still does hold it together. At the right on thesame plane, is the other nurse, one small child in herarms and clasping the wrist of another standing besideher. In front of them a third tiny maiden is sitting flaton the ground picking flowers, while the fourth infantlooks out from behind the nurse. As a composition thispicture has little or no merit. As a portrait group of tenpeople it is a marvellous production. With the exceptionof the father and mother, every face is smiling, eachcountenance fairly bubbling over with mirth. The elderones too, if more sedate, express an equal pleasure. Thepicture was painted before 1630 and is consequentlyconsidered t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubject, booksubjectpainting
