Staande vrouw 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this sketch, Staande Vrouw, with graphite on paper. Israels clearly had a love for process. The physical qualities of this drawing make it really interesting, the surface of the paper is visible through the marks. The graphite is dry, and smudged, but also there are really intense areas of mark making, especially around the head of the figure. The marks are darker in the face, maybe she’s wearing dark makeup? The quality of line in the body is thin and scratchy, really different from the face. It feels like two different approaches and speeds, one quick and one slow. This reminds me of work by Degas, similar subject matter, and a similar interest in process. Artists have always been interested in how to see the world. And this drawing is a great example of that.