Staande vrouw met gekruiste benen 1875 - 1934

This drawing, Staande vrouw met gekruiste benen, was made by Isaac Israels, and it's held at the Rijksmuseum. Look at the quickly drawn lines, almost as if scribbled. Imagine Israels making this drawing. I wonder, did he do it quickly, on the spot, or from memory? Maybe he was trying to capture a fleeting pose. The charcoal marks feel spontaneous, as if he was sketching something he glimpsed and wanted to capture. The composition gives me the sense of someone just hanging out. It is as if she is lounging, a candid moment of relaxation. I love how he focused on the pose, those crossed legs, and the way the figure rests, rather than the details of her face or clothing. It's like Israels is in conversation with other artists through his drawing, thinking about what it means to capture a figure with a sense of immediacy. It reminds us that art-making is a dialogue across time, where artists respond to and inspire each other.