Twee dansende vrouwen c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of two dancing women with graphite on paper. Looking at this image, it feels like you are looking over the shoulder of the artist whilst he is working. I love this sense of immediacy and the candid, provisional nature of the sketch. On the left, the artist has drawn the two dancers with such energy that the graphite has smudged and blurred, leaving ghostly marks on the page. But on the right, the drawing is much more defined, with stronger lines, suggesting the artist reworked the image, adding more details to the figures and their costumes. I imagine Israels standing there, quickly trying to capture the movement of these two dancers. The drawing is full of the potential of painting, and it makes you consider how one artform can inspire and inform another. It reminds us that artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas, inspiring one another's creativity across time.