Lot Essay
On the 1st of May 1894 Jozef Israels set out on a journey to Spain and North Africa in the company of his son Isaac and the writer Frans Erens. The exhibition organised in honour of Jozef's seventieth birthday, and to be held at Pulchri Studio that spring, was unexpectedly postponed a year, giving the artist the opportunity to undertake such an extensive and adventurous trip: 'en met boeken en papieren zaten wij daar, afstanden en hoogten berekenend, en zo reisden wij reeds in onze fantasie over de rivieren en bergen van Spanje tot aan Cadiz, tot aan Marokko en naar Tanger, de meest nabijgelegen stad van het donkere Afrika'(Jozef Israels, op. cit., p. 7). So after having visited the inlands and south coast of Spain Jozef Israels headed for the African continent by steamboat, finally settling in a small hotel in the heart of the Maroccan metropolis. Looking out from his hotelroom window the artist was struck by the brightness and beauty of this North African town, describing the impressive view in his travel journal (published in 1899) as follows: 'Tanger lag als een panorama voor mij, schitterde in het zonlicht. Onafzienbare rijen witte woningen, torens en muren, als gestrooid over hoge en lage heuvelrijen. Alles was wit op de voorgrond, alles wit verderop, waar de torens en de moskee stonden../../..Wit, het was alles wit, tot in de verte, waar het stuitte op het heerlijke blauw der zee' (Jozef Israels, op. cit., 107). Besides recording his African impressions in writing the artist also made numerous sketches during his trip, often adding notes and remarks with the intention of capturing a true to life image upon his return to Holland.
The present lot shows the town of Tanger, rendered in a for the artist unconventional light palet. Jozef Israels, internationally recognized as the leader of the first generation Hague School painters, was renowned for his solemn genre pieces in which the effect of light and darkness formed the principal means of expression. With the years, the artist's work finally became more and more luminous, making it resemble that of his son Isaac. Jozef's work however distinguishes itself by subtle brushwork and a very sensitive approach to his subject-matter, as is evident in this delicate watercolour.
See colour illustration
The present lot shows the town of Tanger, rendered in a for the artist unconventional light palet. Jozef Israels, internationally recognized as the leader of the first generation Hague School painters, was renowned for his solemn genre pieces in which the effect of light and darkness formed the principal means of expression. With the years, the artist's work finally became more and more luminous, making it resemble that of his son Isaac. Jozef's work however distinguishes itself by subtle brushwork and a very sensitive approach to his subject-matter, as is evident in this delicate watercolour.
See colour illustration