Figuurstudies 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made these figure studies with a pencil, but when exactly, we don’t know. See the lines of the reclining figure, how they’re so lightly laid down, almost tentative? You can imagine Israels circling and searching for the right contour, a bit like when I’m trying to get the expression on a face just right. He’s not trying to capture every detail, just the essence of the form, that fleeting moment of the body at rest. The quick, spare lines remind me of some of Matisse’s drawings. There is something so vulnerable about these drawings, and so simple. It’s like he’s inviting us into his studio, showing us his thought process. He is saying 'here's what I saw; now what do you see?' That’s the kind of conversation that makes art so exciting.