Jessie Wallace (Smile) Big Head. Larger Than Life mask.

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Scott stared at the tv while Wallace drank something he’d thrown together with some assorted tropical fruit-flavored vodka in the spirit of the summer. Typical lazy day. Wallace gave him some time to see if it continued. After the whole Envy-Demonhead thing, Scott had been a little… dejected. He came to the conclusion that it wasn’t Envy-related after Scott’s shoulders tensed every time Wallace mentioned Other Scott and immediately walked out of the apartment (per usual) with his shoulders hunched and head down when Other Scott came over.

I’m proud of you.” Wallace whipped out his cell phone as Scott shuffled into the bathroom. “Your mom is too,” he called through the door. John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), who is known for the confident, wet-on-wet brushwork pioneered by Hals 300 years earlier, was another ardent fan, stating "it's hard to find anyone who knows more about oil painting than Frans Hals", and reviving in his portraits of men and women a version of the classic "renaissance elbow" pose that we see in The Laughing Cavalier. Wallace paused drinking his tropical vodka mix and raised an eyebrow at Scott. “I was twelve, he was fifteen. He has glasses. I realized I wanted to marry him instead of a girl.” Wallace took a suspicious drink, eyes narrowed at Scott equally as suspiciously. “Why?” You want me that badly? I knew I was irresistible, but I didn’t know I was that irresistible.” Wallace helped Scott off the ground and wrapped an arm around his shoulder to steady him.You sure did when you drank three gin and tonics.” Wallace turned his head closer to Scott’s, resting his nose against Scott’s soft cheek and taking a deep breath before he let it out in an unsatisfied sigh. “You smell like gay bar.” Scott snapped his mouth shut and his face went blank while he thought about what to say. “It’s hot, I guess.”

The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Frans Hals is showing at the National Gallery, London until 21 January 2024.

In general, commissioned portraits such as this rarely showed adults smiling until the late 18th century, though smiling is often seen in tronies and figures in genre painting. But Hals is an exception to the general rule and often showed sitters with broader smiles than here, and in informal poses that bring an impression of movement and spontaneity to his work. Wallace was completely engrossed in his conversation until he heard Scott say, very loudly, “I have a Wallace” and cling to the arm that had slipped away from Scott’s waist to hand in the air next to his side. “Hi, Wallace.” Wallace wasn’t a stranger to drinking, and he wasn’t a stranger to drinking until the world spun when he thought too hard (or at all). He wasn’t in that state yet, but even thinking about it made his head pound.

Porcelain veneers are thin, transparent ceramic shells that are directly bonded to your teeth for a flawless finish. Your veneers are custom-created to improve the shape, color, and length of your natural teeth. This cosmetic dental treatment will seamlessly blend in with your surrounding smile, allowing you to smile with confidence once again. Scott looked up at Wallace with his mouth slightly opened and his eyes wide. “Do you want me to die?” And you stare.” Wallace smirked at Scott as he blushed hard and shied away from Wallace. “That was a joke, Scott.” I’ll take it as a compliment.” Wallace flopped down in his chair with his own plate of bacon in his hands. “I’m not your gay crush, am I?” You can’t call yourself gay without experimenting.” Wallace looked at what Scott was wearing (like the gay best friend he was) and shook his head. “You won’t get any guys dressed like that.”Drink slowly this time, okay? You don’t want to throw up water. That’s embarrassing, Scott.” Wallace felt like Scott’s father. Even though he loved Scott’s dad (more than his own dad, sometimes), he didn’t want that. Wallace couldn’t help but smile at him. It wasn’t lopsided like usual; it was full-on, all sunshine and rainbows and shit and he couldn’t help but kiss Scott hard.

Wallace froze before carding a hand through Scott’s unruly curls. “It’s not like that,” he said softly. Scott mumbled something Wallace couldn’t make out (mostly because he was so busy trying to find ways for them to make out) before Wallace fell asleep.

However, this fervour for Frans Hals, who died in relative poverty, has been mostly posthumous. The Laughing Cavalier's popularity is widely attributed to the praise lavished on it in 1868 by renowned critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger, but a dramatic bidding war for The Laughing Cavalier two years earlier saw it fetch more than six times the estimate, placing it the hands of the 4th Marquess of Hertford, one of the founders of the Wallace Collection, where it has resided ever since.