Groep vrouwen c. 1886 - 1903

Isaac Israels made this sketch titled "Groep vrouwen" or "Group of Women" with graphite on paper. It's interesting to note that Israels was working during a time of significant change in the social and cultural landscape of the Netherlands. During his time, the art world was becoming increasingly professionalized. Artists were no longer solely reliant on patronage from wealthy individuals or institutions, but instead had the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work to a wider audience through commercial galleries and public exhibitions. These images of women captured through light sketching, may speak to Israels's view of a quickly modernizing society, creating an image of women not as romantic figures but as ordinary members of a changing culture. By studying this artwork, we can get a glimpse into the social conditions that shaped the artist's production, and we can reflect on the meanings of art as something that is contingent on social and institutional context.