Zittende vrouw met een hand achter haar hoofd 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this quick sketch of a seated woman with pencil on paper. You can see the process right there on the page, those tentative, searching lines trying to capture a fleeting pose. It’s less about a perfect likeness and more about the act of seeing, of trying to understand form through the hand. The paper is a kind of grey-green, and the pencil marks sit right on top, they are immediate, raw. Look at the way he renders the hair, those bold, almost crude strokes. There’s no attempt to soften or prettify; it’s all about the blunt, physical act of drawing. It reminds me of Manet, this focus on the present moment and the unvarnished reality of the subject. There’s an honesty here, an acceptance of imperfection. Art isn’t about getting it “right” but about embracing the mess and the struggle.