Israëls father and son...
Jozef and Isaac Israels: These two Dutch painters made significant contributions to the art world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jozef Israels was born in Groningen in 1824, while his son Isaac was born in Amsterdam in 1865.
These two artists are known for their sensitive and realistic depictions of everyday life.
Jozef Israëls was 21 when he came to Paris in 1845 and became a pupil of Paul Delaroche, Horace Vernet and James Pradier, his true master being François-Edouard Picot.
After two years in the French capital, he returns to the Netherlands where he is particularly interested in capturing the emotions and struggles of ordinary people. He is often compared to Jean-François Millet who influenced his style. The two painters have in common to show with great empathy and compassion the simple life of modest families.
He moved to The Hague in 1871 and worked there until his death in 1911. He trained his son Isaac, who later became one of the proponents of the Dutch Impressionist movement.
Originally trained by his father Jozef, Isaac Israels attended the Royal Academies of Fine Arts in The Hague and Amsterdam. Heavily influenced by the French Impressionists and by the painter George Hendrik Breitner, he was particularly interested in capturing the energy and excitement of city life.
Draftsman, photographer and lithographer, Isaac Israëls would have had a working relationship, even a real friendship with Edouard Manet. This similarity in style makes sense when you consider "Children on the Beach", which can also evoke the light of Joaquin Sorolla.
In his art history lectures, Fabrice Roy combines the past with the present, in a poetic and playful evocation of the French 19th century...
