Voorbijgangers, waarschijnlijk op de Herengracht te Amsterdam c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels probably made this sketch of passersby on the Herengracht in Amsterdam with graphite on paper. Look at the way he uses quick, scribbled lines to capture the essence of the scene. It’s like he's thinking with his pencil, right there on the page. The texture is all in those marks – the rapid strokes that suggest movement and the fleeting nature of everyday life. See how he builds up the figures with layers of lines, almost like he's sculpting them out of thin air? And the way he uses hatching to create shadows and depth? It's not about perfect representation but about conveying a feeling, an atmosphere. There’s a lovely kind of energy in the way he's captured a moment in time. It reminds me of the work of Daumier, who also had an amazing gift for capturing the human comedy in simple, unpretentious drawings. It’s a reminder that art doesn't always have to be polished and refined, sometimes the most powerful statements are the ones that feel raw and immediate.