Man, in profiel 1875 - 1934

This sketch of a man in profile was made by Isaac Israels, and what I love about it is the way he captures a fleeting moment with such minimal means. I can almost feel the scratch of the pencil on paper as he quickly maps out the contours of the face, the angle of the head. There’s a real sense of immediacy here, like he’s trying to capture something before it disappears. I wonder what he might have been thinking as he made it? Was he trying to get at some kind of essence? There’s a real joy in the simplicity of the marks, too. Israels knows just where to put the lines to suggest form and volume, and he’s not afraid to leave things unresolved. Like many artists, Israels is in conversation with other artists across time, like Degas or Manet, who were also invested in representing the modern world with all its ambiguity and uncertainty. It’s a conversation that continues to this day, with each artist adding their own voice and perspective to the mix.