Mannenhoofd en een vrouw, ten halven lijve c. 1915s - 1925s

Isaac Israels made this graphite drawing, "Mannenhoofd en een vrouw, ten halven lijve", in the late 19th or early 20th century. Look at those smudges and scribbles! You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the page. I imagine Israels rapidly capturing the essence of his subjects. What were they like, I wonder? Were they even real people, or just fleeting figments of his imagination? The diagonal hatching in the background—is it a wall, or just a way to create depth? Israels' quick sketches remind me of artists like Daumier, who also captured the everyday with a sense of urgency. It’s like a visual shorthand, the artist's way of jotting down a thought, a feeling, a moment in time. These artists are all in conversation, echoing each other across time. It’s a good reminder that art doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be real.