Staande vrouw met hoed 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this charcoal drawing of a Standing Woman with a Hat, now in the Rijksmuseum. The marks are immediate, confident; Israels seems to be working something out on the page. It’s like a jazz riff. I love the way Israels allows the paper to breathe, especially around the figure's head and shoulders. See how the charcoal is smudged and hazy? It gives the figure an ethereal quality, as if she's emerging from the shadows. Then, at the bottom, the frantic energy of the hat is brilliant. The loops and scribbles bring the work to life. It reminds me a little of Toulouse-Lautrec's quick sketches of Parisian nightlife, but Israels has his own distinct voice. He’s showing us that a drawing can be a space for exploration, for capturing a fleeting moment in time. It's not about perfection, it's about the energy of the line.