Two elegant ladies

As the only son of the famous painter Jozef Israels (1824-1911), Isaac's talent for drawing was recognized from a young age. Born in Amsterdam in 1865 he moved with his family to The Hague, where his father became one of the leading figures among the painters of The Hague School. After having received his first training from his father, Isaac followed courses at the academy in The Hague in 1877-78. Here he met George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923), who was his classmate. Dissatisfied with the cultural climate in The Hague, both artists moved to Amsterdam in 1886, where they soon became associated with the literary movement of the Tachtigers. With Breitner, he founded the so-called Amsterdam School of Impressionism, which replaced the rural motifs of The Hague School painting by motifs from city life. His swiftly rendered compositions form a unique contribution to the development of the art of his day, as being truly modern in subject matter and style. Israels reveals himself as a sharp observer of human pose and expression, able to capture the essence of a quickly passing moment in a few sweeps of his virtuous brush or pen as we can see in the present lot. The brushstrokes are bold and steadfast yet appear to vibrate with energy. The spectator is drawn in by the ease and the fast pace of the brushwork, a perfect example by this master of Dutch Impressionism.

Isaac Israels travelled extensively throughout Europe, although he did consider The Netherlands an excellent place to work because: '(...) nothing ever happens here and there is no distraction like in Paris.' (see: Anna Wagner, Isaac Israels, Rotterdam, 1967, p. 49). Following the death of his father, Israels returned to The Hague in 1911. Here he settled in his ancestral home at the Koninginnegracht. In 1913-14 he lived in London and then finally in 1917 embarked on the refurbishment of his father's studio at the Laan van Roos en Doorn to adapt it to his own taste and style. The new studio was the start of one of the most fruitful and productive periods in the artist's career, bringing forth some of the best works in his œuvre. After his return Isaac worked primarily as a portrait painter. Amongst his sitters were Magaretha Gertrud Zelle, better known as Mata Hari, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger and the feminist physician Aletta Jacobs, although he also enjoyed portraying ordinary subjects such as girls in the street and telephone operators.