Man te paard voor toeschouwers 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this charcoal drawing of a man on horseback for an audience. It’s a drawing, so it is all about mark making and tone. It’s not overworked, but spontaneous and direct. You get the impression that Israels wanted to capture a moment, an impression. I really get a sense of the artist's hand in this work, the physicality of the medium is highlighted with the expressive marks made from the charcoal, it’s quite raw. I love the confidence with which he has described the figures in the crowd. There are just a few strokes of charcoal but they have real presence and a lot of character. Israels reminds me a bit of Manet; they share a real painterly attitude. Like Manet, Israels finds a way of being both grounded and vague, giving us a real sense of atmosphere without having to spell everything out.