Portrait of a Jewish Gentleman. Half-portrait facing left.

Josef Israels (1824-1911) almost immedietly acquired recognition as an innovative force in Dutch art. He was soon hailed by the international art community as a respected figure and was often compared to Rembrandt. Associations between the two artists were drawn by the use of darker colors and typically lowly interiors, as well as broad brush strokes and, especially towards the end of Israels’s career the subject matter, mostly his Jewish subjects that seem to bear strong affiliations with that of Rembrandt’s. While much of his work did not consist of Jewish themes nor subjects and he was recognized firstly as a Dutch artist in the wider art community, he none the less took pride in his Jewish heritage and on occassion (especially later in his career) would produce some of his finest works on Jewish themes. Indeed, some of his most famous and admired works fall into this category. The present work bears a notable resemblance to Israels’s famous work Son of Ancient People (1889). Traces of misery and despair have dulled his eyes, much as that of the lone merchant in the previous work. He sits dejected, slightly slumping forward with a vacant gaze that does not engage the viewer. The submissive posture of the figure, with its pained, despairing expression is quite typical in Israels’s works. This way of portraying aggrieved people became a trademark of his style. Israels undoubtedly had seen the poorer elements of the Jewish population in the Jewish quarter in Amsterdam from his youth and then revisited them through the eyes of his great idol Rembrandt. The present subject can almost be seen as an older version of the merchant in Son of the Ancient People. Although it is alternatively possible that this was a study for the painting. Another clear similarity can be drawn to a later work (1896) titled Old Isaac. This work was well received and greatly contributed to his popularity. The faces of the two subjects bear a strong resemblance and both works display the years of experience and keen insight the artist had with his subjects. The use of color and tone and broader brush strokes, reminiscent to those of Van Gogh, are clear indications of the artistic excellence Israel’s had achieved. On the life and works of Joseph Israels, see: Jozef Israëls 1824-1911 (Dieuwertje Dekkers, 2000) Note: Exhibited: Jozef Israëls - On Life and Death, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 15th September 1998-1st March 1999.