Liggende vrouw bij een bron 1834 - 1911

Jozef Israëls created this drawing with pen in brown and gray, depicting a reclining woman by a well. The well itself has been a locus of gathering, storytelling, and revelation across countless cultures. The image evokes a feeling of solitude, a quiet moment by the well that serves as a portal between the mundane and the profound. Consider the ancient Greek nymphs associated with springs, embodying the life-giving and rejuvenating properties of water. In the Old Testament, wells are significant sites for covenants, such as Jacob's Well, around which stories of encounter and promise unfold. Here, the woman lying by the well may be a symbol of introspection, drawing from the well not water, but wisdom. This resonates with Botticelli’s Venus, emerging from the sea, a symbol of beauty and spiritual rebirth. The cyclical nature of water—evaporation, rain, and return—mirrors the cycles of human life and memory, connecting us to the eternal resurgence of nature.