Hoofd van een koffiepikster c. 1886 - 1934

This sketchy drawing of a coffee picker's head was made by Isaac Israels at an unknown date. It's all soft greys and gentle lines. I can imagine Israels working on this, his hand moving quickly across the page trying to capture the essence of his subject. The lines are so delicate, like whispers of charcoal barely touching the surface. Look at the way he’s captured the woman’s profile; the curve of her neck, the way her head is bowed. You can almost feel the weight of her work. There's something really touching and intimate about it. He’s not just drawing a head, he’s drawing a person, a life. You know, when I look at drawings like this, I feel part of this lineage of artists trying to capture something true about the world around them. It's like we're all in conversation, sharing ideas and inspiring each other. And isn’t that what art is all about?