Odalisques Resting 1945

Iosif Iser made 'Odalisques Resting' with pastels and maybe some charcoal. Look at the marks—soft edges and blurred lines. I imagine Iser worked quickly, layer upon layer, figuring out the composition through touch. I sympathize with the artist here; there's a looseness and an embrace of imperfection. What might he have been thinking when he made this? The figures have a dreamlike quality, as if glimpsed through a haze of memory. The colors, muted greens and browns, are earthy and calming, making the eye move gently around the image. Notice the yellow pastel, how it brings warmth to the sleeping figure. Artists are always looking at other artists, influenced and impacted by those who came before. Iser would have known about Matisse's odalisques, but here the mood is more subdued, more intimate. It's like Iser is whispering a secret about rest and contemplation. What he is showing us is the exchange of ideas across time, inspiring creativity and creating conversation.