FOR SOME time I have been keen to show a work by Isaac Israels, a Dutch artist whose painterly career bridged the 19th and 20th Centuries.
Israels’ work isn’t particular common and it was a surprise to see three of his paintings appearing in Leith buses-style in far-off Freeman’s sale of European art in New York.
There were two portraits, Rabbi in Amsterdam (estimate $20,000-$30,000) and Seated Woman with Cigarette ($4000-$6000), but I opt to illustrate ‘Café Scene’ ($25,000-$35,000), which captures, I think, the slabbed, brightly-coloured brushwork and spontaneity of the great French Impressionists, with whom Israels mixed.
Oil on canvas, it is a goodly 20 in x 16 in and signed bottom right.
Why Israels here? Two reasons. One of the great McManus masterpieces is Israels’ Egyptian Drummer Girl, a sumptuous, almost life-sized oil with a gently-delivered serenity belying its rumbustious theme. It was purchased with Ower bequest funds in 1935 and I cannot think of a moment it has not been exhibited in all its splendour.
Not on show, however, is Israels’ ‘In a Paris Café’, which entered the collection in 1967 – hence my wish to illustrate a similar scene to provide a sense of the snapshots of everyday café culture portrayed by Israels a century ago and nowadays by Dundee artist Joe McIntyre.
Secondly, Israels (1865-1934) was a frequent visitor to, and exhibitor in, Scotland, where his pictures were much collected.
Dundee industrialists were to the fore and amassed examples from Dutch artists who would visit the city to spend time with their patrons. Among them were members of The Hague School of painters, such as Willem Steelink, Jacob Maris, Johann Zotelief Tromp and B. J. Blommers, whose ‘Peek-a-Bo’ is another McManus favourite.
Isaac Israels followed his father Jozef into the Hague grouping, their work heavily influenced by realism over colour. Café Scene, though, offers more than a passing nod to Impressionism.
Many moons ago an Israels graced my hall. It was flogged at Christie’s Amsterdam when prices for 20th century Dutch pictures were heading roofwards.
I am still hung-up about not hanging on to it and seeing it hanging there still.
(ends)
Picture: Café Scene by Isaac Israels (Freeman’s Auctions).
