Referencing the portrait painting of the "golden age" in the Netherlands, Irene Andessner portrays friends of the arts – museum professionals, art collectors and patrons, as well as artists and those involved in producing art. In the portrait sessions she focuses on the image structure, colour moods, postures and expressions of the protagonists in portraits by Frans Hals.

Frans Hals (1582/83-1666) painted life-sized portraits of the citizens of Haarlem in their Sunday best, giving them "speaking" expressions in bust or half-length portraits in front of a grey studio wall. Historically, the master of portrait painting was esteemed for his "true-to-life reproduction of the specific nature and the permanent or fleeting expression of particular personalities" (H. Knackfuss, 1923).

Andessner produced the portraits with the new "Impossible" material (successor to Polaroid) in large format 20 x 24 inches and 4 x 5 inch negative film.

Exhibition:
WestLicht („From Polaroid to Impossible – The WestLicht Collection“), Vienna 2011
Galerie Bugdahn und Kaimer („Collaborations“), Düsseldorf 2012
Galerie Schloss Parz („Collaborations“), Grieskirchen 2012

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