Artwork
The Drunkard
The Drunkard is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jozef Israëls. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Overview
Jozef Israëls, a central figure of the Hague School, executed The Drunkard circa 1874. The oil painting is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s holdings and exemplifies Israëls’s interest in portraying ordinary people with psychological nuance.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas shows a seated man with his head tipped back, eyes closed, clutching a glass in one hand and a bottle in the other. His hat, dark jacket, white shirt and apron suggest a working‑class individual, likely in a tavern or modest home, captured in a moment of inebriated repose.
Technique & Style
Israëls employs chiaroscuro, using deep shadows and a limited light source to model the figure’s face and the glass, creating a three‑dimensional presence. The composition reflects the Dutch Golden Age’s realism while integrating the social‑realist concerns of the Hague School.
History & Provenance
Since its creation in the mid‑1870s, The Drunkard has remained in public collections, eventually entering the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s permanent collection, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s representation of 19th‑century Dutch art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jozef Israëls (Dutch pronunciation:; 27 January 1824 – 12 August 1911) was a Dutch painter.
