'De zieke buurman' 1834 - 1911

Jozef Israëls rendered this scene in watercolor, depicting an intimate moment of illness and visitation. The sick man lies in bed, his face gaunt, while his neighbors attend to him. Consider the motif of the opened mouth, seen here on the ailing man, calling to mind the countless artistic representations of agony, supplication, or death. Think of the ancient Greek sculptures of Laocoön or the dramatic figures in the Baroque era. The opened mouth becomes a signifier of human frailty and suffering. The image taps into our collective memory. This moment of communal care and the stark vulnerability of human illness evoke a profound emotional response. The scene connects to universal anxieties and fears around mortality. It serves as a reminder of our shared human condition. It is a potent, cyclical image that continues to resonate across time.