Girl in the Dunes
mid-19th–early 20th century
Medium
Watercolor and touches of black chalk on paper
Dimensions
Overall: 12 5/8 x 17 3/4 in. (32.1 x 45.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac D. Fletcher Collection, Bequest of Isaac D. Fletcher, 1917
Accession Number
17.120.234
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Girl in the Dunes by Jozef Israë captures the serene beauty of the Dutch coastline in a delicate watercolor heightened with touches of black chalk on paper Created during the mid-19th to early 20th century, intimate drawing (12⅝ × 17¾ in.) depicts a young girl amidst expansive dunes, with hints of boats evoking the everyday life of coastal communities. Israëls, a leading figure of the Hague School—a Dutch movement inspired by the French Barbizon painters—excelled in portraying humble fishermen and rural scenes with poignant realism and emotional depth. The watercolor medium suits Israëls's ...
About the Artist
Jozef Israëls · 1824–1911
Israëls was born in Groningen to poor Jewish parents. He trained as an artist in Groningen and Amsterdam, and between 1845 and 1855, he expanded his training by travelling to Paris, Dusseldorf, and the artist's colony at Oosterbeek. However, the most influential locations he visited were the Dutch seaside towns of Zandvoort and Katwijk, were he adopted genre painting as a means of documenting the ...