Variétéatieste met hoofdtooi c. 1930 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this sketch of a headdress-wearing performer with graphite on paper. It is a loose, gestural sketch, capturing the essence of a fleeting moment. What strikes me is the contrast between the almost empty left-hand side of the spread and the concentrated energy on the right. Israels uses dense, diagonal hatching to build up the form of the performer and her elaborate headdress. It's like he's trying to trap the light, or maybe the movement, in those quick, scribbled lines. The texture feels almost palpable, you can practically feel the artist’s hand moving across the page, searching for the right line, the perfect shadow. I love the way the hatching creates a sense of depth, even though it's just a simple sketch. You can see a similar interest in fleeting moments in Degas’ sketches of ballet dancers, and there’s a sense of art as an ongoing conversation between artists. It reminds us that art is a process, not just a finished product, and that sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones that are a little rough around the edges.