Vrouwen in een kleedkamer c. 1915s - 1925s

Isaac Israels made this sketch of women in a dressing room with pencil on paper. Look at how Israels uses these scribbly marks to map out a composition. What do you do when you’re sketching? It must have been a bit like trying to capture smoke! I wonder what it was like for Israels, moving in and out of the space between seeing and drawing? His quick marks make me think he’s trying to catch a fleeting moment. It’s like he’s in a rush, trying to keep up with the changing scene in front of him. There’s so much energy in these lines. And it’s not just about capturing what’s there, but also about feeling it. And how do we know when a drawing is done? Maybe that's something only the artist can know. Every artist is always in dialogue with artists of the past, and it’s exciting to see how they can influence and inspire one another. Artmaking is an ongoing conversation.