Gezicht op het Place de la Concorde te Parijs 1887 - 1934

This sketch of the Place de la Concorde in Paris was made by Isaac Israels, probably in a small notebook. You can imagine him quickly capturing the scene with rapid pencil lines. Look at the concentration of marks, the layered strokes that almost vibrate on the page. You can feel Israels thinking through the composition, figuring out how to represent this famous location with just a few economical gestures. What was he thinking as he made this drawing? Was he thinking of Manet or Degas, how they also captured modern life? See that long, horizontal stroke that runs across the middle of the page? It powerfully conveys the sense of space and distance. I love how the artist has embraced the immediacy of the medium, allowing the pencil to dance across the page, creating a sense of movement and energy. It reminds me that art is always in conversation with what came before, yet each artist brings their unique sensibility. This little sketch is a testament to the power of observation and the enduring appeal of Paris as a subject.