Isaac Lazarus (‘Isaac’) Israels
Dutch, Amsterdam 1865 – 1934 The Hague
From 1878 to 1880 he studied at the academy in the Hague, at the same time as for example Marius Bauer, Floris Verster and George Breitner. After 1885 he moved back to Amsterdam, where Breitner then also lived and worked. Israels’ and Breitner’s work developed in parallel as they stimulated each other. Whereas their predecessors of the Hague School chose subjects mainly outside the city, they chose a different approach. Israels went through the entire city looking for contemporary themes to paint: life in the streets, in cafés and in theaters. He painted near the canals and in the parks. He also worked in coastal towns such as Scheveningen.
After 1894 his palette lit up more and more and he developed and perfected a seemingly spontaneous style of painting. He moved to Paris in 1903 and stayed there for ten years. This was an important time for the artistic development of Isaac Israels. The ‘City of Light’ had a strong appeal for artists from many countries, such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, George Braque, Kees van Dongen and Piet Mondriaan, to name a few. In the vibrant city he found many subjects. He also found new sources of inspiration during his many travels. Next to the Netherlands and France, Israels worked in England, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Dutch Indies.