Twee vrouwen met opwaaiende rokken 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this quick sketch of two women with billowing skirts presumably on paper with graphite. You can see the speed of the artist's hand as he makes these marks. When I look at this work, I think about the artist outside trying to capture the two figures, the wind whipping around them, as Israels attempts to grasp their essential qualities. The drawing looks effortless; the essence of a fleeting moment captured with just a few lines, a flurry of activity around their skirts. You get the sense of a constant shifting and editing in the artist's mind. The forms are suggested rather than stated, and the lack of detail invites you to imagine the scene for yourself. Israels leaves it open, like an invitation. He has a lightness of touch, so he doesn't nail things down and leave no room for your imagination. His work reminds me to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty. Maybe that is what all of us artists are trying to do.