Groep figuren, staand en zittend 1875 - 1934

Curator: So, we're looking at a drawing from Isaac Israels, made sometime between 1875 and 1934, titled "Groep figuren, staand en zittend," or "Group of Figures, Standing and Sitting." It's currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum. My first thought is this is what I’d imagine falling asleep in a waiting room looks like. Editor: Falling asleep in a waiting room! I love that. The scene seems caught in mid-breath—gestural figures, quickly rendered…like a half-remembered dream or an attempt to grasp something fleeting. All these loosely scribbled lines – a sort of dance around presence and absence. What kind of people are represented here? Curator: That’s interesting. Given Israels' interest in portraying modern life, they are possibly actors or models he observed in theatrical settings or ateliers. He had an ability to capture these figures from the margins of his time, so there is both realism and sensitivity to social contexts in this quick sketch. There's a voyeuristic quality. Do you notice it? Editor: Absolutely. Israels invites us into the most ephemeral aspects of representation; an exploration that captures this raw immediacy, that is more felt than seen, right? Curator: Precisely. The sketch feels unmediated, so natural and flowing. It's a dance with the pencil, seeking to understand what it sees through spontaneous mark-making, through an act of discovery. The soft graphite allows subtle gradations, offering a sense of the space around these figures. It seems effortless, almost negligent, don’t you think? Editor: Negligent? Hmmm... I wouldn't use that word but I agree with the 'effortless'. Perhaps, if the artist did this work as an intimate exploration in their personal sketchbook as some have suggested, maybe what we’re responding to is more instinct and less a carefully thought through method? This makes it unique for us to appreciate. The sketch does beckon curiosity, right? Curator: I agree completely. It is that peek into Israels’ working process, a fleeting moment of creativity laid bare. It’s like observing the artist think through his pencil. Editor: Indeed. This rapid, almost frenetic energy allows you as a viewer to sense into something truthful and raw, as it offers only glimpses into an untold story... The work almost refuses completion, leaving us wanting more, maybe that is the power of suggestion with symbols. Curator: Beautifully said. The incomplete nature somehow makes the experience so much richer.