Twee figuren op een duin, een liggende hond en een man met een pijp c. 1855 - 1859

This sketch by Jozef Israëls, held at the Rijksmuseum, presents a quiet moment captured with graphite on paper. The composition arranges figures and a dog on a dune, yet it's the artist's formal approach that speaks volumes. Israëls’ use of line is tentative, searching, almost as if he’s feeling out the shapes of his subjects. The figures are loosely defined, their forms suggested rather than asserted, giving the sketch an open, almost dreamlike quality. This formal choice invites interpretation—are these figures defined by their actions, or are they merely placeholders for broader themes of human connection to nature? Consider how this approach destabilizes the traditional portrait. Israëls isn’t interested in capturing likeness but perhaps the very essence of contemplation. In doing so, he turns the sketch into a space for reflection.