Israels Jozef

1824-1911

Jozef Israels was one of the most respectable Dutch painters of the second half of the nineteenth century. Born the father of a successful businessman, Jozef spent his early years working in his father’s firm as a stockbroker clerk. It was only after a determined struggle that his father permitted him to travel to Amsterdam to study painting. In 1870 he moved to The Hague where he became part of the ‘Hague School’ of painters. Israels is nicknamed “The Jewish Rembrandt”. As a painter, Israels’ work has been often compared to that of Jean-Francois Millet. It has been said that both artists found in their subject matter, a means of communicating an expression of deep human sympathy and while Milet’s work has been noted for its poetic nature, Israels contained within it viscous despair. Today his works can be found as part of numerous collections of museums all over the world. He died on August 12th 1911.