Stadsgezicht in een bergachtig landschap 1875 - 1934

This is Isaac Israels’ pencil drawing, "Cityscape in a Mountainous Landscape," housed at the Rijksmuseum. Notice how the composition is structured through a series of rapid, intersecting lines. These lines don't just depict form; they create a dense, almost palpable texture across the paper. The absence of color directs our attention to the stark contrast between light and shadow, built up through varying densities of line. This emphasis on the abstract qualities of line and form aligns with early modernist concerns, where the act of seeing and representing becomes as important as the subject itself. Here, the landscape serves as a framework upon which Israels experiments with visual language, challenging our perceptions of space and depth through a deliberate flattening of perspective. The sketch invites us to consider the artwork not merely as a representation of a place, but as an exploration into the fundamental elements of visual art. How might these formal choices reflect Israels’ broader engagement with the changing artistic landscape of his time?