Voorbijgangers voor etalages aan de Nieuwendijk te Amsterdam 1886 - 1903

Isaac Israels sketched "Passers-by in front of shop windows on the Nieuwendijk in Amsterdam" in graphite on paper. The composition, divided into two sheets, presents a fleeting urban moment through sparse lines and forms. The figures are reduced to mere suggestions of human presence, caught in a perpetual state of transience. The artist employs a visual economy, where each line serves a critical purpose. The starkness invites a reading of urban alienation, echoing the flâneur's detached observations in a rapidly modernizing world. The semiotic function of these sketched figures is ambiguous; they symbolize the masses, yet remain distinct, embodying the paradox of individuality within urban anonymity. The work destabilizes traditional portraiture and landscape, focusing instead on the urban experience. This shift reflects a broader artistic concern with capturing the ephemeral and the contingent, challenging fixed meanings and inviting ongoing interpretation.