Aangespannen paard 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels created this evocative sketch of a harnessed horse with charcoal on paper. Here, the artist uses rough, expressive lines to capture the scene. The grainy texture of charcoal allows for a range of tones, creating depth and shadow. Looking closely, you can see the charcoal is applied with varying pressure. Thicker lines define the horse's form, while lighter strokes suggest movement and energy. The rapid execution of the drawing, with its immediacy, speaks to a moment captured in time, a fleeting glimpse of urban life. In its directness, the sketch also evokes the labor involved in traditional modes of transport. The horse, constrained by its harness, becomes a symbol of labor and the relationship between humans and animals in an industrializing world. This sketch reminds us that even the simplest of materials and processes can convey complex ideas about society, labor, and the human condition.