Vrouw, mogelijk op een balkon 1887 - 1934

Editor: Here we have "Vrouw, mogelijk op een balkon" - that's "Woman, Possibly on a Balcony" - by Isaac Israels, dating from 1887 to 1934. It's a pencil drawing and has that characteristic impressionistic touch. It seems so unfinished, almost fleeting. What elements do you find most striking in its composition? Curator: The stark contrast between the densely hatched areas and the bare paper is significant. Observe how Israels uses the varying pressure of the pencil to create a sense of depth and shadow. The strategic arrangement of lines guides the eye. Are we, perhaps, drawn to interpret how those linear marks denote both form and void? Editor: Yes, definitely. It’s interesting how little information we’re given, yet we still sense the woman's presence. There are just the few, carefully chosen strokes, which somehow define her form. What does the tension between the defined and undefined spaces suggest to you? Curator: Indeed, the drawing plays with the push and pull between the suggestive and the concrete. Consider the economy of means – how a few deft strokes can imply the presence of a figure and the surrounding architecture of what may be a balcony. There are strong diagonals; can they destabilize what may be the vertical support columns or is there tension with her shoulder line? Note, too, the contrast in textures, and the implied textures too. Editor: That's a very subtle consideration. I hadn't quite noticed the implied textures. This was enlightening. Thank you. Curator: And thank you; considering those textural implications makes us realize how much visual language depends on contrasts and variations in such basic formal elements.