Junger Mann mit Totenkopf (Vanitas)

Young Man holding a Skull (Vanitas)

This confident youth holds a skull in one hand and with the other gestures so forcefully that his fingertips seem to burst from the canvas. The skull is a reminder of the transience of life. The simple composition draws attention to Hals's bold technique: his loose, slashing brushstrokes are unequalled in Dutch painting of the seventeenth century.