Figuren op straat, bij regen c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of figures on a rainy street with charcoal, and I can just imagine him outside, hurrying to get it down before the rain smeared everything. The charcoal marks are quick and smudgy. It’s all about capturing movement, right? Like, how do you draw rain? You can't, you have to draw the *feeling* of rain! I love the way the artist suggests form, the feeling of a body, without getting bogged down in details. See the head on the left? It's barely there, just a few lines, but it’s full of expression. I wonder if Israels was influenced by impressionist painters? It makes me think about how artists are always looking at each other's work, figuring out new ways to show something, not just copy it. Painting is always a conversation across time. It’s an embodied expression that embraces ambiguity, opening up space for multiple interpretations.