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Lot Essay
Isaac Israels, only son of Jozef Israels (1824-1911), the nestor of the Hague School, evolved into a Dutch Impressionist pur sang. In the first half of the 1880s his work primarily consisted of military scenes, figure paintings and portraits. Realistic salon pictures of this kind seemed to indicate that he would be a worthy successor of his father. Then in 1885 he underwent a change of mentality when, reportedly influenced by Emile Zola's naturalistic novel Germinal, he visited the Borinage mining district of Belgium and witnessed the grim reality of life there.
Along with George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923), whom he knew from the Hague Academy, Israels enrolled at the Rijksacademie for the 1886-1887 year. Being trained artists already, however, and enjoying life in Amsterdam, they both left before the end of the year. As a young painter, Israels was soon accepted into the circle of the Eighties movement (Tachtigers). At night he frequented the Jordaan and Zeedijk districts, visiting dance halls and cafes, and debating with his writer and artist friends, painters as well as writers.
In about 1900, through the female painter Therese Schwartze (1852-1918), Israels became acquainted with the management of the Amsterdam fashion house Hirsch (A. Wagner, Isaac Israels, Venlo 1985, pp. 56-57). Originally a Brussels firm, Hirsch opened in Leidseplein in 1881 and by the turn of the century was one of the leading fashion establishments in the Netherlands (De Bodt et al., 1999, p. 87.). Israels was permitted to observe its activities at first hand, and to work in the changing rooms and workrooms and during fashion shows. The result was a large number of watercolours, pastels and oil paintings of subjects connected with the fashion business: elegant mannequins, essayeuses showing clothes to a customer, in some instances with a saleswoman and seamstress, and seamstresses busily occupied with needle and thread in the workrooms. The subject of women and fashion had engaged Israels' interest once before. In 1893 he rented a room opposite Mars' millinery on Nieuwendijk in order to watch the ladies trying on hats (This is recalled by the painting Mars' Millinery on Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam of 1893 (Groninger Museum, Groningen). See Bionda & Blotkamp 1989, p. 186, cat. no. 61.). After moving to Paris in 1903, through his Hirsch connections he was able to continue his fashion studies in the workrooms of the well-known fashion stores Dicroll and Paquin.
The present lot is a fine example of the series of textile workrooms painted by Israels, which Anna Wagner has identified as situated at Paquin and to be dated circa 1904-1905 in 1969 (see literature). Large-sized, robust and executed with fluid brushstrokes, it depicts seamstresses sitting close together, bent in concentration over their work. Despite the seemingly rapid style of execution, the sense of depth in the complex composition is brilliantly conveyed, as are the individual likenesses of some of the girls. As illustrated here, in the workroom and changing room scenes Israels deployed a tonalist, muted palette far removed from the high-keyed colours of his outdoor scenes.
We wish to thank Drs Wiepke Loos for preparing this catalogue entry.
Along with George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923), whom he knew from the Hague Academy, Israels enrolled at the Rijksacademie for the 1886-1887 year. Being trained artists already, however, and enjoying life in Amsterdam, they both left before the end of the year. As a young painter, Israels was soon accepted into the circle of the Eighties movement (Tachtigers). At night he frequented the Jordaan and Zeedijk districts, visiting dance halls and cafes, and debating with his writer and artist friends, painters as well as writers.
In about 1900, through the female painter Therese Schwartze (1852-1918), Israels became acquainted with the management of the Amsterdam fashion house Hirsch (A. Wagner, Isaac Israels, Venlo 1985, pp. 56-57). Originally a Brussels firm, Hirsch opened in Leidseplein in 1881 and by the turn of the century was one of the leading fashion establishments in the Netherlands (De Bodt et al., 1999, p. 87.). Israels was permitted to observe its activities at first hand, and to work in the changing rooms and workrooms and during fashion shows. The result was a large number of watercolours, pastels and oil paintings of subjects connected with the fashion business: elegant mannequins, essayeuses showing clothes to a customer, in some instances with a saleswoman and seamstress, and seamstresses busily occupied with needle and thread in the workrooms. The subject of women and fashion had engaged Israels' interest once before. In 1893 he rented a room opposite Mars' millinery on Nieuwendijk in order to watch the ladies trying on hats (This is recalled by the painting Mars' Millinery on Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam of 1893 (Groninger Museum, Groningen). See Bionda & Blotkamp 1989, p. 186, cat. no. 61.). After moving to Paris in 1903, through his Hirsch connections he was able to continue his fashion studies in the workrooms of the well-known fashion stores Dicroll and Paquin.
The present lot is a fine example of the series of textile workrooms painted by Israels, which Anna Wagner has identified as situated at Paquin and to be dated circa 1904-1905 in 1969 (see literature). Large-sized, robust and executed with fluid brushstrokes, it depicts seamstresses sitting close together, bent in concentration over their work. Despite the seemingly rapid style of execution, the sense of depth in the complex composition is brilliantly conveyed, as are the individual likenesses of some of the girls. As illustrated here, in the workroom and changing room scenes Israels deployed a tonalist, muted palette far removed from the high-keyed colours of his outdoor scenes.
We wish to thank Drs Wiepke Loos for preparing this catalogue entry.