Woman in Profile, before Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

Isaac Israëls was intrigued by Vincent van Gogh's use of color. From 1918 to 1920 he borrowed two paintings from Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Vincent's sister-in-law: Sunflowers and The House in Arles. They play a role in a number of his own paintings. There are five known canvases for which Israëls used Sunflowers as a background for portraits or nudes. This painting is one of them. He did not paint Sunflowers literally, but gave it such an impression that it fitted into his own painting. He left out the withered flowers on the left. The flowers form a sunny and colorful decor. In fact, Israëls uses only Van Gogh's colors here; his own female figure is almost monochrome.

Isaac Israëls loved beautiful women. His paintings often show self-assured ladies who are proud of their femininity and their beauty without any embarrassment. He liked to sketch at the Amsterdam fashion house Hirsch and became friends with the models that worked there. A number of them also posed for paintings. The young woman depicted here with her beautiful attitude and self-assured appearance could very well be one of Hirsch's models. 

This painting is the part of the Van Gogh and the Sunflowers exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum. The exhibition is on view from 21 June 2019 through 1 September 2019. If you're in Amsterdam, don't miss it!