In the 17th century, Holland was a wealthy province in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, filled with a vibrant and confident citizenry willing to spend money on domestic art and colonial luxury goods. Portraiture emerged as another means of display for the new middle-class with two Dutch painters — Franz Hals in Haarlem and Rembrandt van Rijn in Amsterdam — becoming the undisputed masters of facial expression and group dynamics. Among the works featured will be some of Hals’ merry drinkers such as “Malle Babbe” and Rembrandt’s revolutionary “Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp” and “The Night Watch.”

Instructor: Kathryn McClintock has a master’s degree in art history from Penn State and has taught the introduction to art course through Outreach for more than 20 years.