Zelfportret van Isaac Israels c. 1923 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this self-portrait with graphite on paper. Look how the sketch emerges with a light touch. It’s all tentative, searching, which is so often the case when we turn the mirror on ourselves. I wonder what Israels was thinking as he worked on this? Did he feel exposed, vulnerable, or maybe just curious? The marks are so quick and fleeting; he is not belabouring over it. It looks like he wants to capture a certain likeness but do it fast! I love the economy of line here, how just a few strokes can suggest so much. Think about this drawing in conversation with other self-portraits made by artists throughout history – from Rembrandt to Van Gogh, to contemporary painters today. There is something so human about trying to capture our own image. We are all constantly trying to understand ourselves.