Frans Hals the Elder is notable for his loose painterly brushwork, and helped introduce this lively style of painting into Dutch art. Hals was also instrumental in the evolution of 17th century group portraiture. He was a master of a technique that utilized something previously seen as a flaw in painting, the visible brushstroke. Like many artists whose style is unique in their own time, he left few direct followers; the closest was Adriaen Brouwer,...