For several years, Struck paid extended visits to the artist Jozef Israëls (1824-1911) in Holland, one of the foremost exponents of the so-called School of Hague which favored realist motifs and somber colors.

He was often dubbed the ?Dutch Millet?, chiefly because of his peasant genre painting, which flourished in the Netherlands between 1860 and 1900. Struck wrote about his etchings, ?All of his etchings have the magic of a personal language we all love so much. They are artless, almost clumsy. There is no academic following of rules??

Struck?s early work reflects some of his mentor?s influence, but he went well beyond that to reveal Struck as well-rounded European artist with a broad range of interests.