Frans Hals of Antwerp

This video, directed by Jonne Severijn, provides a survey of Dutch artist Frans Hals' work and places it the social and cultural context of his time.

It looks in detail at a succession of his most accomplished portraits, examining his techniques, particularly the "alla prima" technique (the technique of painting directly on to the canvas without making preliminary drawings or gradually building up the painted surface), by focusing on brush stroke details.

His work includes individual portraits such as the "Laughing Cavalier" and group portraits such as the "Regents" and the "Regentesses of the Old Men's Alms Houses".