The art of Israels, with its straightforward and sympathetic portrayal of
the emotions of the common folk, makes a direct and wholesome appeal to
all. Its democratic, ethical purport would have satisfied the demands of
Tolstoy. Without theatricality, or morbid invention of horrible and
ironic situations, he interprets the lives of poor people. The types he
chooses are strong and simple. Sometimes he tenderly portrays young men
and girls in the fields, or happy peasant mothers with their children, as
in our painting; and when poverty or tragedy are the theme, as they in
much of his later work, he sees no demoralization nor degradation—only
fortitude and sadness. The spirit of man triumphs.—Gift of Mrs. Frederick
B. Wells.
[On the Beach. Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, 1863-]