AI vs Human Art: Frans Hals’s Expressive Portraits 🎨

Frans Hals’s "Regentesses of the Old Men’s Almshouse" is a compelling example of his raw, expressive style, capturing the women who oversaw the almshouse that supported him in his final years in poverty. Painted in 1664, it reveals the unvarnished character of these elderly regentesses, their authority etched into austere expressions. Hals’s rough, visible brushstrokes and muted colors convey a tension that may reflect his own feelings—resentment, envy, or perhaps reluctant gratitude toward those in charge of his care.

This deeply personal layer is something that is difficult for A.I. art to replicate. While A.I. can mimic brushstrokes and color schemes, it lacks the intimate, nuanced relationship between artist and subject. Hals’s painting holds a palpable connection to his life’s hardships, an authenticity grounded in human experience that A.I., without personal stakes or emotions, simply cannot capture.

Adapted from on essay by John Berger in "Ways of Seeing".