Vrouwenhoofd, in profiel c. 1886 - 1934

This is Isaac Israels’ sketch, *Vrouwenhoofd, in profiel*, currently residing at the Rijksmuseum. It’s all about immediacy, the kind of fast thinking that drawing allows. The materiality here is so simple, just pencil on paper, but look closer – there's something raw and immediate in the way the lines are laid down. The head is barely there, a ghost of a face. It reminds me that drawing is not just about capturing a likeness; it's about thinking through making. The lines are tentative, searching, revealing the artist's thought process as he tries to capture the essence of this woman's profile. It's like a visual note, a quick impression jotted down before it vanishes. Israels' sketch is a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, full of possibilities and open to endless interpretations. Like a Cy Twombly sketch, maybe, or a quick study by Degas.