Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 41 verso c. 1890 - 1920

This is 'Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 41 verso' by Isaac Israels, a transfer of a chalk drawing onto paper. What I love about this piece is its sheer ephemerality, you can almost feel the process happening. The image is ghostly, like a memory fading. Look at the way the chalk dust barely clings to the page, creating these soft, blurred forms. It’s all about the surface here, the way the chalk interacts with the texture of the paper, leaving a delicate trace. There's a lovely smudge in the lower part of the composition, it reminds me of Rothko, whose paintings are all about feeling and emotion, and how those qualities are expressed on the canvas. Israels is using the bare minimum, pushing the boundaries of what a drawing can be, reminding us that art is as much about the process as it is about the final product. It’s not about perfection, but about the beauty of the fleeting moment.