An afternoon in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris

Paris, the cultural capital of Europe during the fin-de-siecle, played an important role in the artistic life of Isaac Israels. As a young man Isaac regularly travelled to Paris with his parents and sister to visit the annual Salon des Artistes Françaises. Isaac spoke French fluently, apparently with a typically Parisian accent. In June 1903 Israels left Amsterdam for Paris where he was introduced to the important fashion house Paquin. In Paris Isaac became inspired by the beauty of the young Parisiennes whom he encountered in parks like the Bois de Boulogne - as in the present lot - but also on the Champs Elysées, on the Place Vendôme and in the café-chantants like the Moulin Rouge and the Moulin de la Galette. In this period he turned his impressions of the Parisian atmosphere into a large number of dynamic paintings, watercolours, pastels and drawings. This period may be considered the finest of his career.

The present lot is an excellent example of Israels Parisian style. The light palette and rapid treatment of the subject matter are stylistic elements that were used by the French Impressionists, who led Isaac to change his palette. The portrayed midinette and an elegant man on a bench characterizes all the elegance and beauty of Parisian city life around the turn of the century. Israels' use of colour changed in Paris compared to the works he made in The Hague and Amsterdam. He started to prefer delicate pastels and light and transparent oil paint. His style on the other hand remained unchanged: A dynamic way of painting, with bold brushstrokes, but with delicate results. The light palette and heavy brushstrokes are a perfect example of Israels' Parisian way of painting.