Kaartende mannen in een café 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made ‘Kaartende mannen in een café’ with watercolour, creating a hazy, intimate scene. Look at how the watercolour is thinly applied, almost like a stain seeping into the paper; it's all about capturing a fleeting moment, the gesture of a hand holding cards, a quick glance, a shared joke maybe? There's a sense of immediacy, of being right there in the smoky atmosphere of the café. I am interested in the drips and bleed of the pigment. See the way Israels lets the colours run into each other, creating a soft, blurry effect. The tones are mostly muted – browns, greys, blacks – with just a few pops of red, like the one man's tie, drawing the eye. This piece puts me in mind of Manet, who also used the watercolour medium to great effect. Ultimately, it reminds us that art is not just about depicting reality but about capturing a feeling, an atmosphere, a mood.