How did Anthony van Dyck’s style affect the popularity of Frans Hals’s work?

The popularity of Frans Hals’s work was negatively affected by a shift in public taste toward a more elegant style of portraiture, which was popularized by the painter Anthony van Dyck in England.1

While Hals maintained an impressive reputation throughout his career and continued to receive important commissions, the public’s preference for Van Dyck’s refined aesthetic contributed to a decline in the number of commissions Hals received after 1650. This decrease in demand, combined with personal financial difficulties, left Hals unable to support himself, ultimately leading to the auction of his possessions for debt in 1654. Despite this shift in contemporary fashion, Hals’s later portraits are now considered his masterpieces, showcasing his profound genius for character portrayal.1