Staande vrouw 1875 - 1934

This drawing, Staande Vrouw, was made by Isaac Israels and lives at the Rijksmuseum. Look at the smudgy charcoal, the sparse but evocative lines. I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving quickly, trying to capture a fleeting impression. It’s a study, a sketch, not a polished finished thing, and I love that. I imagine Israels in his studio, charcoal in hand, squinting at his model. What was she thinking? Did she even know she was being watched? There’s something so intimate about the quick, confident strokes, the way the form emerges from the shadows. Think about the way the single bold line of her shoulder leads to another. These shapes remind me of other artists, like Degas with his dancers, capturing everyday life with such immediacy. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about perfection, but about seeing and feeling, and trying to get that down on paper, or canvas, or whatever. It's about the ongoing conversation of artmaking that inspires all of us.