Vogels 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels drew these birds, with pencil on paper, and what strikes me is his process of searching. It is a flurry of graphite marks. Look closely, and you'll see he isn’t just showing us birds, but also how he, as an artist, sees the world. The lines are tentative, and the forms are open, it’s like he's thinking aloud, trying to understand the essence of these creatures, and their different positions. The marks feel spontaneous, capturing fleeting moments. It reminds me of sketches by Degas, who also used drawing to explore movement and form. This piece invites us to embrace the beauty of the unfinished, the potential within the process. Art isn’t always about a perfect end result, but about the journey of seeing and discovering.