Isaac Israels Dutch 1865-1934

Isaac Israels was raised in an inspiring artistic environment. In the studio of his father, the famous painter Jozef Israels, he grew familiar with the art of the Hague School and met a great number of artists. He visited Paris from his earliest youth, becoming thoroughly francophile. This fascination for French art and culture influenced him heavily in his choice of subject matter and the colourful, spontaneous style he favoured. As such, Israels became one of the leading representatives of Amsterdam Impressionism.

Israels held a life-long fascination for the human figure. Although he earned his greatest fame with paintings of crowded streets, dance halls and elegant ladies strolling in a park, Israels also tackled the classical subject of the female nude. He shared this interest with his colleague and painter-friend George Hendrik Breitner. As A.M. Hammacher remarks in his book Amsterdamsche Impressionisten en hun Kring (published 1941), Israels´ nudes are much more intimate in character and differ significantly from the crudely rendered, dramatic nudes of his friend Breitner. Hammacher praises the wonderful light and delicate charm of Israels´ female nudes, that are completely free of false sentimentality and brazen sensuality.

The present lot is one of the most attractive nudes Isaac Israels painted. The subtle, glowing light, the beautifully rendered female figure and the spontaneous, virtuoso brushwork betray a painter of proficient talent.