Tronies

Franz Hals, "Peeckelhaering," 1630

Painters who are interested in making portraits should know about tronies, a 16th century Dutch term for a stock character (the word means face), often with an exaggerated gesture or expression and a recognizable costume. Rembrandt, Hals and numerous others produced memorable tronies. Hals in particular made us see all kinds of characters, from an inebriated celebrant in "Peeckelhaering," (pickled herring, or drunk) to "Gypsy Girl", showing us a seemingly jolly and lusty young woman.

Adriean Brouwer, "The Bitter Draught," ca 1635

Sometimes various kinds of genre paintings featured tronies--character types--in awkward, painful, or worse situations. One of my particular favorite genre painters is Adriaen Brouwer whose tronies are not only masterful but often humorous. Of Mr. Brouwer's works, "The Bitter Draught" is sublime both in his capture of the horrified facial expression and the memory of bitter-tasting medicine. (Even then, it was commonly believed that if it tasted bad a medicine must be very effective.)

Jean-Honore Fragonard, "The Actor," ca 1769

Although they aren't called tronies, Jean-Honore Fragonard's  fantasy portraits fall into a similar category. These portraits (recently on view in Washington DC) are energetic and suave, with vigorous, beautiful, confident brushwork. While the sitters have been subsequently identified based on studies the artist did, the paintings themselves were never intended as individual portraits but as "types" of people, analogous to the Dutch tronies.

Jean-Honore Fragonard, "Young Girl Reading," ca 1770

Probably the most famous of the fantasy portraits is the "Young Girl Reading" of about 1770, which Fragonard reworked into its present form. The luscious yellow dress with its myriad folds is an astonishing tour-de-force. His portrait of "The Actor" gives us a dramatic young man in costume, his gaze swept to one side. The gesture calls up memories of broad stage acting. Actually, the entire group of fantasy portraits are amazing, if they were indeed painted in less than an hour or two each, as is often said.

"J.C. Leyendecker, "Arrow Collar Man," oil, nd.

Tronies remain important in commercial and graphic applications even if they are no longer called by that name. During the golden days of illustration--roughly late 19th to mid-20th centuries--drawn and painted images of stock characters were common in magazines and advertising. The strong, mature, square-jawed male and the flouncy, feminine woman were common in publications like Saturday Evening Post or on advertising calendars. Illustrators such as Howard Pyle, J.C. Leyendecker, and others created images for publication that are still instantly recognizable. For example, Leyendecker's Arrow Collar Man appeared in advertising for several decades, intended as the epitome of male haberdashery but not as a specific person.

It seems to me that tronies in the Dutch tradition could be a fruitful area for study. Perhaps a few contemporary tronies would be a worthwhile project.