Oudere vrouw met een muts c. 1885 - 1911

Jozef Israëls made this sketch of an older woman with a cap, using graphite on paper. It’s a quick study, rapidly executed, but full of information. The artist probably used a fairly soft pencil, allowing for a range of tones with minimal effort. This was a crucial development in the nineteenth century, as graphite replaced silverpoint and other drawing media. These new materials allowed for a fresh kind of naturalism. Note how Israëls is able to suggest the fall of light across the woman’s face, and the texture of her garments, with very few strokes. It’s an intimate portrayal, catching a fleeting moment. The availability of mass-produced paper and pencils democratized artistic expression, connecting it more closely to everyday life. This simple drawing embodies that shift. It reminds us that even the most apparently effortless artistic gestures have a material history behind them.