Staande vrouw met hoed, op de rug gezien c. 1915s - 1925s

Curator: Here in the Rijksmuseum we have a drawing by Isaac Israels entitled "Standing Woman with Hat, Seen from the Back," created sometime between 1915 and 1925, using pencil. It’s an evocative study. What’s your first impression? Editor: It feels quiet, almost lonely. The woman’s back is to us, her hat casting a shadow, obscuring any sense of who she is or what she’s thinking. It feels like we are intruding on a private moment. Curator: I think that captures the emotional ambivalence. Israels often depicted women in public spaces, but there’s a clear detachment, both physically and psychologically. Her isolation amidst a social milieu invites curiosity. He was certainly part of the Dutch impressionist movement, wasn’t he? Capturing fleeting moments and the ambience of daily life… Editor: Absolutely, but it's fascinating to me how the seeming casualness masks a potent statement on visibility and invisibility. Consider the period – the woman's anonymity underscores the societal limitations placed upon women, especially when they were not directly associated with domesticity. Her lack of specific identity encourages a more generalized reading, focusing on the everyday constraints and the objectification of the female form. Curator: It’s also technically quite fascinating. You see, it’s a study done in pencil; you could imagine that its creation required relative haste on the artist’s part. The diagonal shading feels frenetic, while the stark emptiness in the foreground draws my eye to the shadows behind the woman. Editor: It is about form and gesture. That frenetic shading adds to that sense of implied tension, and it invites one to ponder on class too, even gender roles, within that particular socio-political landscape. Did Israels, coming from his privileged background, reflect critically upon such matters in his broader work, do you know? Curator: Historical accounts describe his sympathetic eye, yes. However, that lens remains conditioned by his place in society and the social conventions of his day, to be sure. Still, he sought to offer his perspective on those frequently marginalized in artistic portrayals. Editor: He definitely provided the room for that interpretation here in this portrait, yes. It will always depend upon whose point of view it is seen. I agree with that. Thank you! Curator: Thank you!