Twee acrobaten 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of two acrobats with graphite on paper. There’s a feeling of immediacy in this drawing. It looks like he's trying to catch something quick, maybe something fleeting. The marks are loose, a little all over the place, which tells me he was working fast, responding to what he saw in the moment. You can see the lines that describe the forms, the weight of the figures, they’re not perfect, and that’s what’s so great about it. It’s the kind of drawing that shows you can get to the essence of something without getting bogged down in detail. I like thinking about how Israels might have been influenced by Degas who also found beauty in the bodies of performers. But Israels has his own take; he's less concerned with capturing the spectacle and more with the humble physicality. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about perfection, it’s about process, about seeing and feeling.