Portret van Aleida Schaap 1863 - 1878

Jozef Israëls made this print of Aleida Schaap, sometime in the late nineteenth century. It captures the sitter in profile, and the medium of etching gives the image an intimate, informal quality. Israëls was part of the Hague School, a group of Dutch artists who turned away from grand historical painting towards more naturalistic depictions of everyday life. His work often focused on the lives of working-class people, particularly those in fishing communities. This interest in the quotidian and the ordinary was part of a broader European movement, and reflected a growing democratic sensibility. At the same time, artists were keen to assert their independence from the official art institutions, like the academy, that promoted more conservative styles and subjects. To understand this image better, we might look at exhibition reviews from the period, as well as the artist’s correspondence and the writings of contemporary art critics. In this way, we can begin to understand how its viewers might have understood the artwork in its own time.