Isaac Israels

Collection Kranenburg-Hoogendijk
Thence by descent to the present owner

The canvas has been relined. Two retouches; one centraly in the mirror and one in the pink dress. Otherwise this work is in good condition.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Isaac Israels was raised in an inspiring artistic environment. He was the son of Jozef Israels, one of the founding fathers of the Hague School. In his father's studio, a meeting place for artists, he got acquainted with a great number of painters. No wonder that his early work bears the imprint of the subdued art of the Hague School. After his move to Amsterdam in 1887, Isaac shifted his attention to modern, urban subjects, depicted in a more colourful and daring style. He soon became the leading spirit of so-called 'Amsterdam Impressionism'. 

In Amsterdam, Israels derived inspiration form the many aspects of modern city life, ranging from crowded streets to dance halls and fashion houses. He represented these subjects in a virtuoso, fluent style of radiant colours and freely applied, vigorous brushstrokes. A contemporary, witnessing him at work in his studio, wrote: 'When one has the privilege of  seeing him at work, one can see how he repeatedly stabs, as with a dagger, at the canvas: punches as if suddenly inspired, immediately executed, uninterrupted by waiting for inspiration, again and again a series of tremolos of colour botched on to the arm'. The novelist Frans Erens, who wrote these lines, realised that Israels had created a style which was in tune with his quick powers observation. 

The fashion world was one of Isaac Israels' favourite subjects. In 1900, he was introduced by Thérèse Schwartze to the Amsterdam fashion house Hirsch on the Leidseplein where he was granted permission to work inside. He depicted the daily activities of the essayeuses, shop girls and seamstresses in the ateliers and showrooms. Through Hirsch, Israels obtained an introduction to the famous fashion houses Decroll and Paquin in Paris where he stayed for almost ten years. The fascination for the world of fashion stayed with him throughout his entire career.

The present lot was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Kranenburg-Hoogendijk either directly from the artist or at Kunsthandel E.J. van Wisselingh & Co in Amsterdam. Mrs. Kranenburg-Hoogendijk was the sister of the well known art collector Cornelis Hoogendijk (1866-1911). When Cornelis Hoogendijk was confined to a clinic at Ermelo in 1900 her husband Ferdinand Kranenburg became his solicitor.

In the fitting room of Hirsch has always stayed in the family and is definitely one of the masterpieces in this genre. In his typical, energetic style and masterful brushwork the artist depicts the ladies at full length. Israels aimed at seizing the moment, at catching the mood of the momentary. 'Israels depicts things fresh as a daisy, without second thoughts', Dolf Welling writes in his book on the artist. 'He was keen to capture life, to hold a moment that would never return. What struck him most in that moment was a human trait, a mood that his subject was able to communicate in an inscrutable way'. The beautifully rendered ladies are a great example of Israels' virtuoso, mature impressionism, which earned him great fame.