Glasblazers 2

Isaac Israëls prints bring the bustle of city life and the bright light of the Dutch seaside into your home. Israëls was a leading painter of Amsterdam Impressionism who captured streets, cafés, fashion houses and beaches in quick, lively brushwork. Our collection of fine art prints covers his donkey rides at Scheveningen, Amsterdam canals at night, Rotten Row in London and portraits of women.

About Isaac Israëls

Isaac Lazarus Israëls was born in Amsterdam on 3 February 1865, the son of Jozef Israëls, one of the most respected painters of the Hague School. He showed talent early. From 1880 to 1882 he studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, where he met George Hendrik Breitner, who became a lifelong friend, and at 16 he sold a painting to the artist and collector Hendrik Willem Mesdag. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1882 and won an honourable mention there in 1885 for Transport of Colonial Soldiers.

From 1886 he lived in Amsterdam, where he and Breitner soon left the academy for the progressive circle of the Tachtigers, and he became a painter of the city's streets, cafés and cabarets. Summers at Scheveningen with his father led to many colourful seaside scenes, and through the fashion house Hirsch & Cie he painted the world of haute couture, from seamstresses to wealthy clients.

In 1904 he moved to Paris, near Montmartre, admiring Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas, and at the start of the First World War he was in London, painting riders on Rotten Row, ballerinas and boxers. He spent the war in the Netherlands as a portrait painter; his sitters included Mata Hari. In 1921–22 he travelled in India and the Dutch East Indies. At 63 he won a gold medal in the art competition of the 1928 Olympic Games for Red Rider. He died in The Hague on 7 October 1934, two days after being hit by a car.

Style and Subjects

Israëls belonged to Amsterdam Impressionism, and he followed the Tachtigers' belief that emotionally charged subjects need an equally intense technique. He painted quickly and loosely, catching movement and passing moments: girls walking along a canal, crowds in a café, riders on a beach.

At the seaside he was fascinated by the changing light of sun and sea, as in Donkey Rides on the Beach. In his fashion-house and portrait pictures, light brushwork and soft colour give his figures an unposed, modern feel.

Famous Works

• Portrait of a Wounded KNIL Soldier (1882), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. An early study from his years in The Hague.
• Transport of Colonial Soldiers (1885), -. Won an honourable mention at the 1885 Paris Salon.
• Two Girls in the Snow (1890), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Two young women walking in the winter city.
• Shop Window (1894), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. A woman looking into a city shop window.
• Donkey Rides on the Beach (-), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Children riding donkeys on the beach at Scheveningen.
• Moulin de la Galette (1905), -. A Paris dance hall from his Montmartre years.
• Woman before Sunflowers (1918), Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle. A woman posed against bright flowers.

Decorating with Israëls Prints

Israëls' beach scenes, like On Scheveningen beach, bring sea air and sunlight to a living room, bedroom or beach house, and suit coastal and Scandinavian interiors.

His city scenes, such as Damrak at night or The Prinsengracht near the Noordermarkt, work well in a hallway, home office or city apartment. The Rotten Row riding pictures, like Rotten Row, Hyde Park, suit a study or a room with a classic, equestrian feel.

FAQ

Who was Isaac Israëls?

Isaac Israëls (1865–1934) was a Dutch painter of Amsterdam Impressionism, the son of the Hague School painter Jozef Israëls.

What did Isaac Israëls paint?

City streets, cafés and cabarets, the fashion world, portraits, and colourful beach scenes at Scheveningen, as well as riders in London and life in the Dutch East Indies.

Did Isaac Israëls win an Olympic medal?

Yes. At 63 he won a gold medal in the art competition of the 1928 Olympic Games for his painting Red Rider.

Where can I see Isaac Israëls' paintings?

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam holds several, including Donkey Rides on the Beach, and his portrait of Mata Hari is at the Kröller-Müller Museum.

Related Artists

• Jozef Israëls: his father, a leading Hague School painter
• George Hendrik Breitner: lifelong friend and fellow Amsterdam Impressionist
• Hendrik Willem Mesdag: bought his painting when he was 16
• Willem Witsen: fellow member of the Tachtigers circle