Enkele personen bij een gebouw (doorgestreept) c. 1888

Editor: So, this is "Enkele personen bij een gebouw (doorgestreept)" by Isaac Israels, made around 1888. It's a pencil drawing, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The sketchiness creates a real sense of transience, almost like we're seeing a fleeting moment captured in graphite. What do you make of it? Curator: What strikes me immediately is the material reality of the production of this drawing. Israels used pencil, a readily available and relatively inexpensive medium, allowing for quick, on-the-spot documentation. The "doorgestreept" in the title—crossed out—suggests a process of revision and editing, a fascinating glimpse into the artist's working methods. Notice also how the blank space of the paper functions almost as a material in itself, defining the figures and the scene as much as the graphite lines. Editor: That's a good point. It does feel quite raw, almost unfinished. How does this relate to the artistic context of the time? Curator: Consider the late 19th century's increasing industrialization. Pencil, as a mass-produced object, democratized drawing, making it accessible to a wider range of people. Israels, as an Impressionist, was capturing everyday life, depicting laborers and ordinary people. The seemingly simple act of sketching these figures is a commentary on the value of labor, rendered with the most basic and accessible of tools. We could see it as a challenge to traditional, academic painting. Editor: So, the very act of using a pencil becomes almost a political statement? Curator: Precisely! It’s about collapsing the hierarchy between "high art" and the art of the everyday, made possible by accessible materials and techniques. Look at the composition itself; the building feels almost skeletal. The human figures, rendered with the same unassuming material, gain prominence and speak to human impact and the experience of observing our constructed world. Editor: That's a really interesting perspective. I hadn't thought about the implications of the materials themselves. I'll definitely be looking at drawings differently now. Curator: Excellent! It is rewarding to think of how much we reveal when considering how artists make their art and interact with our cultures.