Staande vrouwen met hoeden, op de rug gezien 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this sketch of standing women with hats, viewed from the back, with pencil. The thing that gets me is the economy of line. It’s like he’s barely touched the page, just a whisper of graphite suggesting these figures. Look at the way he's implied the volume of the hats with just a few strokes, and then left the rest to our imagination. The negative space becomes as important as the drawn lines, creating a sense of lightness and airiness. There is a real emphasis on process - it's about gesture and movement, capturing a fleeting moment rather than striving for perfect representation. This reminds me of Manet, in the way he was able to convey so much with so little. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about showing everything, but about inviting the viewer to participate in the act of seeing.