Hoofd, mogelijk Japans c. 1925s

Here's a graphite sketch of a face, possibly Japanese, by Isaac Israels. Look at how the artist works over the page, again and again, building up the marks. You can almost imagine him circling the face of the sitter, tilting his head to look closely. I imagine Israels thinking, "Where do I start?" Maybe with the eyes, those two dark pools that seem to hold so much depth. Or maybe the nose, that strong central feature that anchors the whole face. Each mark is a question, a tentative exploration of form and shadow. And the way he's hatched the shading under the chin gives the face weight, a sense of groundedness. Israels was a painter of modern life, always looking for the fleeting moment. This sketch feels like a moment caught in time, a glimpse into the artist's process, and into the enigmatic gaze of the sitter. Artists like Israels show us the beauty of conversation and exchange, always looking for new ways of seeing.