Abklatsch van een krijttekening 1875 - 1934

This is a drawing by Isaac Israels, though we don’t know exactly when it was made. It's called 'Abklatsch van een krijttekening' which translates to 'rubbing of a chalk drawing', which is interesting, right? What strikes me is how raw the process feels. You can almost see Israels wrestling with the image, the chalk skidding across the page. Look at the smudges and ghostly lines, the way the image seems to emerge from a fog. It reminds me that art isn’t always about perfection; sometimes it's about the struggle to capture something fleeting, something felt but not fully seen. There’s a real openness here, like the artist is inviting us into their studio, into their thought process. The way he's captured light and shadow with just a few strokes of chalk reminds me a bit of Degas, who was also interested in capturing the energy of modern life. Israels invites us to appreciate the beauty of imperfection, the power of suggestion, and the ongoing conversation between artists across time.