Figuren op een terras c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Figuren op een terras, with what looks like a stick of charcoal on paper. I love how he's used these dark marks to just capture a scene, a moment in time. It’s kind of like a blurry photograph, right? The figures bleed into one another. I can see them sitting and hanging out at an outdoor cafe or a terrace. You can almost feel the heat and the light! I wonder, was he trying to capture the feeling of being there, outside? Those bold, confident strokes seem to dance across the page, not trying to capture every detail, but somehow hinting at so much. It reminds me that drawing and painting are about so much more than just copying what you see. It’s about feeling, expressing, and connecting.