Zittende man, kijkend naar een dier 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing called "Zittende man, kijkend naar een dier" – that's "Sitting man, looking at an animal" – using what looks like charcoal or graphite. The way Israels uses the side of the drawing implement to create those broad areas of tone is interesting. It gives the whole thing this real sense of immediacy. Look at the physicality of the medium! The surface is raw, and the marks are quick and unblended. The lines are loose, and it feels like he's trying to capture a fleeting moment. See how the shading around the top of the man's hat? It's almost like he's creating a halo, or just trying to render the form with as little information as possible. Israels was part of the Amsterdam Impressionism movement, and you can see how his works are similar to artists like Manet and Degas, who were also interested in capturing modern life with a sense of spontaneity. But ultimately, art is always an ongoing conversation between artists, across time and space.