Vrouwelijk naakt, leunend op een arm 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Vrouwelijk naakt, leunend op een arm, using graphite on paper. The drawing is all about line, isn't it? Each one searching, tentative, a little wobbly - the kind of lines that happen when you are feeling your way through a subject. You can see Israels reconsidering, going back over some lines and leaving others. I love how the network of pale grey lines feels so intimate, like we are seeing a fleeting moment, and in that moment, we're invited into the artist's process. The lines are delicate, almost ephemeral, and it's clear that Israels wasn't interested in creating a highly finished or polished work. The beauty is in the simplicity, the understated nature of the drawing. It makes me think of Degas’ drawings. There’s a similar feeling of capturing a private moment. I love how this drawing embraces the unfinished, the imperfect. It reminds us that art is as much about the process as it is about the final product.