Vrouwenhoofd met hoed 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels dashed off this drawing, Vrouwenhoofd met hoed, with what looks like a graphite stick on paper. It's all about the process of seeing and capturing a fleeting moment, a quick impression. What strikes me is how Israels uses these bold, almost scribbled lines to define the woman's face and hat. There’s a real sense of immediacy, like he’s trying to keep up with his own gaze. The lines are raw and full of energy, not trying to be too precise but still managing to convey a sense of form and volume. Look at the way he suggests the shadow under the hat, those marks that are also somehow defining the planes of the face. It reminds me a bit of some of Degas's more informal sketches, that same interest in capturing the essence of a figure with minimal fuss. I love how it embraces the incomplete, the tentative, and reminds us that art is as much about the journey as the destination.