Vrouw, in profiel c. 1925s

Isaac Israels made this sketch of a woman in profile, location and exact date unknown. It is lightly sketched with graphite on paper, so you can almost see the ghost of the hand that drew it. I sympathize with Israels here; it's hard to capture a figure in a few strokes! There's something tender about the unfinished quality of this drawing. It reminds me of my own process, where I’m constantly shifting and adjusting, trying to find the right line or the right color to capture what I see and feel. The light touch and open composition invites you to complete the picture in your mind. It reminds me of the drawings of Degas. It’s like the artist is having a conversation with us, inviting us to participate in the act of creation. And really, that’s what painting is all about – an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, where artists inspire one another to see the world in new and unexpected ways.