Isaac Israels Dutch, 1865-1934

Kunsthandel Borzo, ’s-Hertogenbosch
Private collection, The Netherlands

The Hague, Kunsthandel van Voorst van Beest, 1 November-23 December 1984

D. Welling, Isaac Israels. The sunny world of a Hague cosmopolitan, The Hague 1991, illustrated in colour on p. 112

Isaac Israels frequently worked in Scheveningen. His father, the famous Hague School painter Jozef Israels, had rented a villa near the Oranjehotel, where he stayed during the summer, sometimes accompanied by his friend Max Liebermann. While his father Jozef depicted the harsh life of the fishermen, Isaac showed more interest in the mundane, cheerful aspects of the popular seaside resort. During this period (1895-1902) Israels painted his famous pictures of children riding donkeys and elegant ladies promenading on the beach.

After his father died in 1911, Isaac moved to his father's house in The Hague, staying there from 1915 till 1919. In these years, he frequently worked in nearby Scheveningen. The present lot, depicting Scheveningen beach with the Pier on a sunny day, was painted during that period. It is an excellent example of his impressionist style, favouring light, radiant colours and loose, spontaneous brushwork. In his book on Amsterdam Impressionism, the Dutch art historian A.M. Hammacher writes: 'Isaac draws with light, rather nervous strokes and stripes. Everything is somewhat loosely connected. He indicates things, quickly and briefly, yet sufficient to register what his penetrating observation found important'. The present lot is a wonderful example of the mature impressionism that brought Isaac Israels his greatest fame.