Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 42 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 42, at an unknown date with chalk. Looking at these smudges, the gentle grey tones, I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the paper. You know, sometimes the most unfinished-looking drawings can be the most captivating. There’s something so intimate about seeing the artist’s process laid bare. I wonder what Israels was thinking about as he made this drawing. Was he trying to capture a fleeting moment, or was he simply experimenting with the texture and tonality of the chalk? The beauty here lies in the simplicity of the materials – just paper and chalk, yet the marks create a whole world of their own. It reminds me a little of Twombly’s scribbles, but with a quiet, more introverted feel. For me, this drawing embodies the sheer joy of mark-making, the ongoing conversation between artists across time. Each one inspires the next to see the world in new and unexpected ways.