Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 17 recto 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 17 recto, with chalk, and what strikes me is the ephemerality of the medium. The image is barely there, a ghost of a landscape, maybe? It feels like a memory, a fleeting impression captured just before it fades away completely. The smudged chalk gives everything a soft, hazy quality. Look how the light seems to diffuse across the page. It’s fascinating how Israels used the chalk almost like mist, layering it to create depth and atmosphere. There’s a particular spot, towards the center, where the chalk is most concentrated, forming a dark, ambiguous shape – a cluster of trees, perhaps? It anchors the composition but also leaves so much to the imagination. It reminds me a bit of Whistler’s nocturnes, those atmospheric studies in tone and mood. Both artists seem interested in capturing the intangible, the transient moments that often go unnoticed. It's this embrace of ambiguity that makes the drawing so compelling.