Reclining Female Nude 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels sketched this ‘Reclining Female Nude’ with a graphite pencil on paper at an unknown date. The loose and rapid strokes suggest the artist was more interested in capturing a fleeting impression than in creating a finished work. Israels lived most of his life in the Netherlands and he moved in progressive artistic circles, particularly in Amsterdam. He aligned himself with the common people. He painted ordinary people at work and leisure. His works often showed a sympathy for the realities of working-class life, while at the same time aestheticizing them. The question for the social art historian is whether Israels’ nude is an eroticized object, or an attempt to represent the female form with greater honesty. The answer might be found by examining his intentions through his letters and journals, and the social function of these kinds of images when he was working. These kinds of details are crucial to understanding the artist's vision and the social function of art.