Isaac Lazarus Israëls (Amsterdam, 1865 – The Hague, 1934) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, watercolourist and graphic designer. He started drawing when he was just four years old and from the age of thirteen he regularly attended the Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague. When he was 21, he left the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (‘National Academy of Visual Arts’) in Amsterdam after just three lessons because he was considered ‘accomplished’. He received tutelage from his father Jozef Israëls and August Allebé.

Isaac Israëls worked in, among others, The Hague, Amsterdam, London, Florence and Paris. In addition to that, he also made numerous other trips abroad. Israëls’ painting style is brisk and sketchy, to the point that his paintings seem to suggest movement. The bustle of the increasingly modern society that he encountered during his travels is well represented in his work. Beach and city views and (horseman) portraits are just some of the themes that he regularly returned to. In 1885 Isaac Israëls was awarded an honourable mention at the Salon in Paris (the official art exhibition of the Academie des Beaux-Arts’ graduate artists).