Artwork
Two girls in the snow
Two girls in the snow is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Isaac Israëls. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
This painting is called Two girls in the snow. It's an oil paint work by Isaac Israëls.
The painting depicts two girls in a city street, facing cold weather. This scene is set in a specific time period, around 1890-1894, which might influence the artist's style and choices.
To learn more about the artist's style and techniques, look up the artist: Isaac Israëls.
Overview
Isaac Israëls’ oil on panel titled Two Girls in the Snow dates from the early 1890s. The work portrays a winter street scene in which two young girls stand against a bleak, cold backdrop. Executed in a modest size, the painting is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection in Amsterdam, where it is displayed among other Dutch works of the period.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on two girls bundled against the chill, their posture and expression conveying the discomfort of urban winter life. By placing the figures within a city street, Israëls captures a moment of everyday resilience, highlighting the social reality of children navigating public spaces during harsh weather.
Technique & Style
Rendered in oil on a wooden panel, the painting employs a muted palette of grays and whites that intensify the sense of cold. Israëls’ brushwork balances fine detail in the figures with broader, looser strokes for the surrounding architecture, reflecting the transitional aesthetic of Dutch realism moving toward impressionistic influences of the late nineteenth century.
History & Provenance
Created between 1890 and 1894, Two Girls in the Snow entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings as part of its effort to preserve works by prominent Dutch artists of the era. The museum acquired the piece through a donation in the early twentieth century, and it has remained in the national collection, serving as a representative example of Israëls’ urban genre scenes.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Isaac Lazarus Israëls (Dutch pronunciation: ; 3 February 1865 – 7 October 1934) was a Dutch painter associated with the Amsterdam Impressionism movement.
