BANQUET OF THE OFFICERS OF THE ST. GEORGE CIVIC GUARD COMPANY OF HAARLEM

(1616; Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum)

   Painted by Frans Hals for the oldest militia group of the city of Haarlem, the St. George Civic Guard Company, also known as the Oude Schuts. In gratitude for the services provided by these men, it was customary for the city to organize three banquets a year in their honor. Hals chose to portray the guards while participating in one of these events. A tradition already existed for these types of group portraits, usually stiff representations with figures lined up on three sides of a table. Hals infused the type with life by arranging the figures in two diagonals and by granting them informal poses. Some of the men sit, others stand, they eat, drink, and engage in conversation. The constant repetition of oblique lines created by sashes, drapes, banners, and figures grants the work a dynamic quality. The most innovative aspect of the rendering is that Hals counted the viewer as a participant in the scene by directing some of the guards' gazes outside the painting. It is as if the viewer's sudden presence in front of the work has interrupted the men's conversation.