Hoofden met verschillende hoeden c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels made these 'Hoofden met verschillende hoeden' with a pencil on paper, and what strikes me is how he's thinking through drawing, really workshopping what these heads might look like. The smudgy graphite gives it a ghostly, ephemeral feel, like these are fleeting impressions rather than fixed portraits. It's all about capturing a sense of movement and change. Look at the cluster of marks on the right, a kind of scribbled frenzy, as if the artist is trying to pin down a thought before it vanishes. The textures feel raw and immediate, and the pencil lines are really light and quick. It reminds me of some of Manet's sketches, that same feeling of capturing a momentary glimpse of modern life. It's a reminder that art is often about process, about trying things out, and about embracing the messy, unresolved nature of seeing.