Liggende vrouw 1887 - 1934

Isaac Israels drew this reclining woman at some point, though we don’t know exactly when. I imagine him with a stick of charcoal, rapidly capturing the pose with bold, energetic lines. You know, I really empathize with the artist here. It’s like he’s thinking, how do I catch the essence of this figure, without getting bogged down in details? I can imagine Israels being super focused on the essentials: the tilt of the head, the way the light falls across the body. See how he uses these quick, almost scribbled lines to define the form? The texture is everything here; each stroke feels so immediate, so full of energy. It's like he’s not just drawing a woman, but also drawing the feeling of seeing her. Israels was part of a whole generation grappling with how to represent modern life, like Manet and Degas. There is something about this work, a willingness to embrace imperfection that feels very contemporary. It reminds us that art is not about perfect representation, but about expression.