Zee (1834 - 1911)

Jozef Israëls prints show the everyday lives of Dutch fishing families with deep warmth and sympathy: children playing in the surf, mothers with babies, old people by the fire. Israëls was a leading figure of the Hague School and, in his lifetime, the most respected Dutch artist of the later 19th century. This collection gathers art prints of his beach and cottage scenes, portraits, Jewish subjects and landscapes.

About Jozef Israëls

Jozef Israëls was born in Groningen on 27 January 1824 to Jewish parents; his father, a money changer, hoped he would go into business, and his mother hoped he would become a rabbi. He began studying art at the Minerva Academy in Groningen at eleven, then trained in Amsterdam with Jan Adam Kruseman and Jan Willem Pieneman.

From 1845 to 1847 he worked in Paris in the studio of François-Édouard Picot and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, painting history scenes in the Romantic style. Recovering from an illness at the fishing village of Zandvoort, he was struck by the hard daily life of its people, and from then on he painted fishermen and the poor with realism and compassion.

His Fishermen Carrying a Drowned Man (1861) and The Cradle won great success in London in 1862. In 1871 he settled in The Hague, where he became close friends with Hendrik Willem Mesdag and a leading member of the Hague School. His son Isaac Israëls also became a painter. Jozef Israëls died in The Hague on 12 August 1911.

Style and Subjects

Israëls is often compared with Jean-François Millet. Both saw in the lives of the poor a way to express deep human feeling, but where Millet painted calm rural life, Israëls often added a note of sorrow: widows, lonely old people and families waiting for fishermen at sea.

His paintings are soft and atmospheric, with muted grays, browns and greens and gentle light falling into dim cottage interiors or across wide, misty beaches. Later he painted Jewish subjects that reflected his own background, and he also worked as an etcher.

Famous Works

• Passing Mother's Grave (1856), Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. A fisherman and his children pass the grave of their mother, one of his first fishing-village scenes.
• Fishermen Carrying a Drowned Man (1861), National Gallery, London. A grieving procession on the beach, his first great success.
• Children of the Sea (1872), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Children playing with a toy boat in the shallows.
• Alone in the World (1878), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. An old man sits beside his wife's deathbed.
• As One Gets Old (1878), Kunstmuseum Den Haag. An old woman by the fire.
• On Country Roads and Fields (1892), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. A quiet rural scene.
• A Jewish Wedding (1903), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. A bride and groom beneath the wedding canopy, one of his late masterpieces.

Decorating with Israëls Prints

Israëls's beach and fishing scenes suit a coastal home, living room or bedroom. Their soft grays, sandy tones and sea greens create a calm, thoughtful mood and look lovely in simple wood or gilt frames.

His cottage interiors, mothers and children bring warmth to a kitchen, family room or nursery, while his portraits and Jewish scenes suit a study or library.

FAQ

What art movement was Jozef Israëls part of?

Israëls was a leading member of the Hague School, a group of Dutch realist painters working in The Hague in the later 19th century.

What is Jozef Israëls's most famous painting?

Fishermen Carrying a Drowned Man (1861), in the National Gallery in London, made his name. Children of the Sea (1872) and A Jewish Wedding (1903) in the Rijksmuseum are also celebrated.

Where can I see Israëls's original paintings?

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam holds a large collection. Others are in the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, the Mesdag Collection, the Stedelijk Museum and the National Gallery in London.

How can you recognize a Jozef Israëls painting?

Look for fishing families, old people and mothers with children in dim cottages or on misty beaches, painted in soft, muted colors with a gentle, often melancholy mood.

Was Jozef Israëls related to Isaac Israëls?

Yes. Isaac Israëls was his son, and he became a well-known painter of Amsterdam life in a freer, Impressionist style.

Related Artists

• Isaac Israëls — his son, a painter of Amsterdam street life
• Hendrik Willem Mesdag — close friend and fellow Hague School painter
• Anton Mauve — Hague School painter of the Dutch countryside
• Jacob Maris — leading Hague School landscape painter
• Jan Adam Kruseman — his teacher in Amsterdam