Interieur van een stal met geiten 1834 - 1911

Jozef Israëls made this pencil drawing, "Interior of a stable with goats," sometime in the 19th century. It's a glimpse into rural life, but not without the conventions of the art world. Israëls was part of the Hague School, a group of Dutch artists who turned away from the grand historical painting of the academies and towards more intimate, everyday scenes. The subject matter of this drawing is, in part, a turn toward naturalism and an interest in the life of the common person. Notice, though, how the animals are carefully arranged, as in a formal portrait. The rough textures of the stable are rendered with an eye for composition, and it’s been suggested that Israëls's Jewish identity influenced his empathetic depictions of the poor and working class. To understand Israëls’ work better, we might look to periodicals and exhibition reviews from the period. These resources could give us a more vivid sense of the artistic debates that shaped his choices, reflecting the social values of his time.