Vrouw met haar handen in haar schoot c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a seated woman with charcoal on paper; a few deft strokes, and there she is. I think of the artist making quick, inquisitive marks, trying to catch something essential about the sitter, a certain tilt of the head, or the way she holds her hands. Isn’t it a marvelous thing to witness someone in a moment of repose, of quiet contemplation? I wonder what she might have been thinking at that moment? Is she at ease, or is there a subtle tension in her posture? It’s a kind of record of a brief encounter. A way of pausing to consider the people we come across in our everyday lives. Israels was part of a generation of artists who were interested in capturing fleeting moments and the everyday experiences of modern life, you get a feeling that it’s not just a portrait, but an attempt to capture something more elusive: a mood, a feeling, a human presence.