Vrouwenhoofd 1887 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this charcoal drawing of a woman's head, sometime between 1880 and 1934. What I love about charcoal is how immediate it is; each mark captures a moment, a decision. The artist isn't trying to hide anything, but lets the process be visible. Look how the texture varies from the dense hatching of the hair to the light, almost tentative lines defining the face. See that single, darker stroke that suggests the curve of the jawline? It’s so simple, but it gives the whole face its structure. The drawing isn’t just about depicting a face, it's also about the act of drawing itself, the push and pull between intention and accident. It reminds me a bit of Rodin's drawings – that same sense of capturing a fleeting impression, a moment of movement and light. There's always something unresolved about drawings like this. They invite us to complete the picture, to fill in the gaps with our own imagination.