Zittende vrouw met paraplu 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a seated woman with an umbrella, likely with graphite or charcoal, focusing on capturing a fleeting moment. It's like he's sketching an idea, not just a figure. I find Israels' process here very direct; the marks are immediate, almost like he's thinking with the charcoal. The texture of the paper becomes part of the drawing itself. It reminds me that art is often about the energy and the movement of the artist's hand. Look at the way he renders the hands holding the umbrella - just a few strokes, but they convey so much tension and weight. It's interesting to think about how artists like Edgar Degas were also capturing similar scenes of modern life around the same time, but with a different sensibility. Ultimately, it's this open-ended quality that keeps me coming back; the feeling that there's always more to discover, more to feel, more to question.