Man met zijn armen over elkaar c. 1915s - 1925s

Isaac Israels made this drawing, 'Man met zijn armen over elkaar', with a pencil, using a process of quick, darting lines. It’s about seeing what’s there with a kind of energetic shorthand. The thing that grabs me here is the economy of line. You can see how Israels is feeling his way around the form, almost like a sculptor working in air. Look at the way he suggests the weight of the figure with just a few strokes. The lines aren’t precious, they’re searching, and in that search, they find something real. The texture of the paper becomes part of the drawing, too. It’s not hidden, it’s embraced. That’s what good drawing is, right? It’s not about perfection, it’s about honesty. Think of someone like Egon Schiele, another master of the drawn line. Both artists share this urgency, this need to capture something essential with as little fuss as possible. It reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and feeling that gets passed down, transformed, and kept alive.