Staande vrouw met hoed, in profiel 1887 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a standing woman with a hat, in profile, with pencil on paper. Look at the way the lines are so minimal, and the negative space is so full of potential. The texture is immediate; you can almost feel the give of the pencil on the page. I’m really drawn to the hat, with its scribbled edges. There’s a real tension there, a contrast between the precision of the form and the looseness of the mark-making. It feels both fleeting and substantial, which to me speaks to the nature of drawing as a record of thought. Israels' sketchiness reminds me of Manet, particularly his ability to capture a sense of movement and light with just a few strokes. Both artists seem to be engaged in a similar conversation about the possibilities of representation. For me, a piece like this really opens up a space for imagination, inviting us to see the world in new and unexpected ways.