How did Frans Hals use quick brushstrokes in his paintings?

Frans Hals developed a distinctive technique characterized by quick, loose brushstrokes that set him apart from his 17th-century contemporaries. While most artists of his era relied on slow, methodical processes involving preparatory drawings and elaborate finishes, Hals appears to have painted directly onto the canvas with great speed.1

His approach to these brushstrokes included several key elements:

• Suggestive Form: Rather than enclosing forms with rigid outlines, Hals used quick, loose strokes of bright color to suggest shapes, which provided his work with a sense of striking immediacy.1
• Expressiveness: This technique was highly effective at conveying movement and the vitality of his subjects.1
• Spontaneity: He often left his initial, spontaneous expressions—which resembled oil sketches—as the finished work.1
• Increasing Freedom: As he grew older, Hals painted with even greater freedom, evolving a style that was remarkably close to Impressionism in its looseness.21

This innovative method allowed Hals to capture the character and spirit of his subjects with a level of realism and energy that revolutionized the portraiture of his time.1