Twee staande vrouwen en een man op een rij c. 1915s - 1925s

Isaac Israels dashed this drawing of two women and a man, sometime between 1865 and 1934, with what looks like a graphite stick on paper. You can see the barest bones of how a scene comes into being. The texture of the paper almost feels like dry earth, holding these fragile figures who are barely there. Look closely at the looping marks that suggest a hat, or a headscarf. There’s a freedom to them. They look fleeting, immediate. I bet Israels didn’t labour over this sketch. He’s getting something down quickly, before it disappears. I love how the lack of information asks us to collaborate in seeing. This reminds me of Manet, who similarly showed us the world as he saw it, not as it “should” be. Both artists invite us to question how we look, and what we expect to see. Isn't it great when a piece embraces ambiguity and multiple interpretations?