Staande vrouw met hoed, in profiel 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a standing woman with a hat, in profile, with what looks like charcoal or maybe conté crayon. The economy of the marks suggests he was interested in the process of observation. It's like he's saying, here's what I see, quickly, directly. Look how he suggests the form of the hat and dress with just a few lines, the pressure of the crayon changing to indicate shadow and volume. It's all about the physicality of the medium, how the crayon drags across the paper. Notice the smudges and the dust, and that little geometric doodle at the bottom. Was he just testing the crayon? This reminds me of some of Degas' drawings, the way he captured fleeting moments with such immediacy. Art is like a conversation, artists building on what came before, finding their own voice in the process. There's no one right way to see this drawing, just different ways of experiencing it.