Figuren, mogelijk aan een leestafel c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Figuren, mogelijk aan een leestafel, with what looks like graphite on paper, and to me, it feels like a fleeting glimpse, almost like catching a scene from a dream. The texture created by the graphite is so rich and varied. Look at the way he uses these smudgy, almost frantic lines to build up the forms of the figures seated around the table. The marks are dense in some areas, creating deep shadows, and then lighter and more sparse in others, allowing the white of the paper to peek through. It's like he's not just drawing what he sees, but also the atmosphere, the energy of the moment. Notice that dark patch, that almost amorphous blob in the lower part of the drawing. It obscures the figures but adds this wonderful sense of mystery, and a balance to the composition. This drawing reminds me a little of Käthe Kollwitz, in the way it captures the weight and intensity of human experience. Like Kollwitz, Israels seems to be less interested in capturing likeness and more in conveying something deeper, something felt. And that's what makes it so compelling.