Cellist met toehoorders 1886 - 1903

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a cellist with listeners, using pencil on paper. Israels was part of a generation of Dutch artists who came of age in the late 19th century, a period marked by rapid social and cultural change. The sketch captures a moment of artistic performance and reception, a concert or recital with a group of figures in attendance. The cultural importance of musical performance in Europe at this time was tied to the development of concert halls and the rise of a middle class with the time and money to attend such events. Israels’ work gives us insight into the spaces and social rituals that were developing around music. Looking at this image, it is fair to ask, what does it tell us about the artist’s relationship to these institutions? Was Israels offering a critique of the social hierarchy, or celebrating a new cultural form? By consulting sources from the period, like concert programs, newspapers, or personal letters, we can learn more about the artist and his relationship to Dutch society at the turn of the century.