Drie figuren, mogelijk vrouwen 1921 - 1922

Isaac Israels made this graphite sketch, "Drie figuren, mogelijk vrouwen," on paper at an unknown date. What strikes me is the sheer energy of the lines, like he’s trying to catch a thought before it disappears. The strokes are quick, almost nervous, as though he's racing to capture the essence of these figures. There’s a raw quality to it, a refusal to prettify or smooth things over. The textures and surfaces are all suggested, not defined – more about the feeling of fabric and form than a literal representation. The figure on the right, especially, seems to be constructed from pure movement, a tangle of lines that somehow conveys the idea of a body in motion. Look at how those lines intersect and overlap, creating a sense of depth and space with almost nothing. This feels like a study, related to the work of Degas perhaps, where artmaking is an ongoing experiment, a conversation with oneself and the world, where ambiguity is not a weakness, but a strength.