Figuurstudies 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels produced this sketch of figures using graphite on paper. The drawing exemplifies the ways the artistic academy has shaped the production of art. Note the ways that the artist has captured human anatomy. Since the Renaissance, art academies have employed the life drawing as a means to train artists in the visual language of realism. This drawing can be seen as an exercise or study in the human form, which would have been part of the artist's training. This drawing would likely have been done in the Netherlands. Art historians often research the records of art academies, along with student drawings, to fully understand the ways that artists learn to create images, and the social norms that shape artistic production.