Liggend vrouwelijk naakt op bed 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a reclining nude, we don't know exactly when, using what looks like charcoal on paper. The way Israels approached the figure is really interesting; it's like he’s thinking through the form with each mark, not trying to create a perfect image, but to understand something. The charcoal is smudgy and thick in some areas, light and almost transparent in others. Look how the hatching creates a dense shadow behind the figure, really pushing her forward. Then, see how the lines around her head are much lighter, almost tentative? It's like he's feeling his way around her presence. That one dark, decisive stroke defining her back, it’s so confident, so sure. It’s a beautiful, raw way of seeing. It reminds me a little of Degas’s drawings, in its immediacy and its focus on the body in motion, or at rest. Ultimately, this piece is an exploration, an offering, rather than a definitive statement.