Twee staande vrouwen 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this charcoal drawing, Twee staande vrouwen, sometime during his lifetime, and it now resides in the Rijksmuseum. The piece is a flurry of charcoal marks, a jumble of lines that somehow coalesce into two figures. It's like looking at a dance, the charcoal capturing movement and fleeting gestures. There's a beautiful tension here, the material is so immediate, so raw, yet the composition feels classically observed. See how some lines are thick and bold, while others are faint and almost disappear into the page? It reminds me that art isn't about perfect representation, it's about feeling and process. The texture created by the charcoal is so tangible. You can almost feel the grit on your fingertips. Look at the way he renders the faces of the women with just a few deft strokes. It's economical, confident, and full of life. Reminds me a bit of some of Degas' drawings, that same interest in capturing the human form in motion. Art is a conversation, after all, and Israels is clearly speaking the same language.