Toeschouwers bij een theatervoorstelling c. 1915s - 1925s

This sketch, "Toeschouwers bij een theatervoorstelling," was made by Isaac Israels; it's all swift, hatched marks in pencil. You can almost see him there in the theater, scribbling down these impressions while trying not to be noticed. The marks create shapes, a dark mass of people, some lines suggesting faces, all on a pale ground of paper. I can imagine Israels trying to capture the feeling of the crowd, but with this kind of speed there’s no real detail or clear subject, more of an overall impression. As a painter, I can relate to his need to capture a moment, and the struggle to bring it into focus, or deciding not to. I like how the pencil lines cross and create darker areas, which hint at the mass of bodies. The overall effect reminds me of Daumier or Degas, other artists who explored the same themes of modern life. Painting is a long conversation between artists, and we all borrow from each other, whether we know it or not.