Vrouwenhoofd met hoed 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Vrouwenhoofd met hoed, using what looks like graphite on paper. It's all about how a few lines can suggest so much, you know? The texture of the paper shows through the drawing, which gives it a kind of ghostly, ephemeral feel. Israels really captures the essence of a form with incredible economy. Look at the hat, just a few scribbled lines, but you totally get it. Then see how the face appears out of the smudged gray background. The drawing feels like a memory, or an impression. Israels reminds me a bit of Degas in his quick studies of figures. And like Degas, he’s not trying to give us the whole story, just a glimpse, a fleeting moment captured on paper. Art isn’t about perfect representation, it’s about feeling and seeing the world in new ways.