Zittend en liggend of staand vrouwelijk naakt 1890 - 1920

Isaac Israels made this drawing of nude women with a soft pencil, giving it a tentative, searching quality, like he’s feeling his way around the forms. The marks are so light and airy, they almost float off the page. I’m drawn to the way he uses the pencil to create a sense of volume and depth with so few lines. Notice how the shading on the figures is created with these tiny, almost scribbled marks. It’s like he’s mapping out the contours of the body with a kind of delicate touch, barely there at all. The overall effect is very intimate, like we’re being given a glimpse into the artist’s private sketchbook. It reminds me a little of Degas, actually, who also had a knack for capturing the human form with such sensitivity and grace. Ultimately, this drawing is a reminder that art isn’t about perfection or accuracy. It’s about exploration, about seeing and feeling and trying to capture something of the human experience.