Vogels 1875 - 1934

This sheet of studies of birds by Isaac Israels is like a page torn from a sketchbook, intimate, immediate, and full of tentative gestures. Imagine Israels hunched over his pad, swiftly capturing the essence of these creatures with just a few strokes of his pencil. The marks are light and airy, with just enough shading to suggest form and volume. I can imagine the artist capturing the ephemeral movements of the birds, their fleeting gestures translated into a dance of lines and shadows. It's a bit like Cy Twombly's scribbles, but with a naturalist's touch. Israels isn't just doodling; he's observing and recording, trying to understand the essence of these avian beings. You can feel the artist's curiosity and delight in the natural world. This is an ongoing conversation about how artists see, and how they share their vision with us.