Staande vrouw, mogelijk in een interieur 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, "Standing Woman, possibly in an interior," with a graphite pencil. Look how he's just feeling around for the form, not too worried about getting it right. That's how I like to work too, make a mess, then see what's there. The woman is barely there, just a few lines suggesting her shape, while the furniture is all rectangles and hard angles. It feels like the interior is more solid, more real, than she is. Notice the vertical lines on the right. Are they curtains? A door? Something about them feels unfinished, like the drawing itself could keep going, or maybe fall apart at any minute. This reminds me of some of Degas' sketches, where he’s just trying to nail down the movement of a dancer, not the whole story. It's like Israels is whispering, “Here’s a moment, catch it if you can,” and then it’s gone.