Figuur op een terras 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Figuur op een terras, with pencil, probably in one sitting! Look at those marks, the speed and confidence of them! It’s so immediate, like a thought, a feeling, that he had to get down on paper right away. I imagine Israels sitting there, maybe on the terrace he’s drawing, his eyes darting around. What caught his attention? Was it the way the light was hitting the buildings? Or the shapes of the figures on the terrace? I love how he captures the essence of the scene with just a few lines. There’s something so raw and honest about this drawing. It reminds me that painting, drawing—it’s all about looking, feeling, and responding. It's a conversation between the artist and the world, a way of making sense of things through mark-making. And in that process, we, as viewers, get to join in the conversation too.