Vrouw met hoed, op haar buik liggend 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Vrouw met hoed, op haar buik liggend, with pencil on paper. It’s a tangle of lines, as if the artist was thinking with the pencil, trying to find the figure within the marks. I imagine Israels quickly sketching, trying to capture the essence of the woman in just a few strokes. Maybe he was interested in the way the light fell on her face, or the curve of her body as she reclined. There’s something intimate about it, like we’re catching a glimpse of a private moment. The lines themselves are so expressive, they remind me of Cy Twombly’s scribbles, but with a more figurative intent. There’s a lightness to it, a sense of spontaneity that I really admire. The artist isn't afraid to leave things unresolved, allowing the viewer to fill in the gaps. It's a reminder that drawing, like painting, is a conversation—between the artist, the subject, and us, the viewers.