Portret van een vrouw 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this watercolor portrait of a woman, maybe in the late 19th or early 20th century. Look at the loose brushstrokes! The colors are muted—lots of grays and blues, with just a hint of pink in her cheeks. I can imagine Israels, quickly, intuitively capturing her essence on paper. The paint is thin, almost transparent in places, which gives the whole thing a feeling of lightness and immediacy. Notice the confident strokes that define her hat and the way her gaze meets ours. There’s a certain directness, almost confrontational! I wonder what Israels was thinking as he made this portrait? Was he trying to capture her likeness, or something more ephemeral, like her mood or personality? It reminds me a bit of Manet’s portraits—that same interest in capturing modern life and the fleeting moments of everyday experience. Artists are always in conversation with each other, drawing inspiration from the past while pushing towards something new. Painting lets us see the world in different ways. It’s all about uncertainty.