Isaac Israëls

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Isaac Lazarus Israëls (Amsterdam, February 3, 1865 - The Hague, October 7, 1934) was a Dutch painter.

The son of the cultivated and sophisticated painter Jozef Israëls, Isaac Israëls developed an interest in literature, travel and painting as a child. Between 1878 and 1880 he studied at the academy in The Hague. His special talent was obvious from an early age. In 1881, when he was 16, he painted a picture which was purchased even before it was finished by the artist and collector Hendrik Willem Mesdag.

Apart from one or two extensive travels, from 1886 Israëls lived in Amsterdam. In that year he registered at the Amsterdam Academy of Art to complete his schooling. However, he only stayed for the one year: there was not much more they could teach him. Israëls often spent the summer months with his father in Scheveningen. Fascinated by the changeable light of sun and sea, he painted many colourful seaside scenes.

In Amsterdam Israëls was a close friend of George Hendrik Breitner. The two artists tried to capture the fleeting moments of everyday life in the Dutch capital. To obtain that 'snapshot' feeling, they used abruptly truncated figures. Between 1903 and 1923 Israëls spent most of his time in Paris and London. In 1923 he returned to his parent's home in The Hague, where his father's old studio became his new workplace. There, until his death, he produced his impressionist paintings with their bright and brilliant colours. (source: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)