Jozef Israëls, Alone in the World

Jozef Israëls, Alone in the World, 1881

Jozef Israëls (1824-1911) was a Dutch painter, one of the most respected of his time.  Most of his work portrays a simplicity of humble peasant life, sometimes with Jewish themes, and often expressing a certain amount of woe.  This painting of a man sitting by his wife's deathbed is full of pathos.  The stoic sadness in the man's face is beautifully rendered and one can feel his confusion and loneliness.  Although it is bright outside, the room remains dark.  The sparse furnishings and textured darkness and to the overall sadness of the scene.

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