Twee slapende kinderen 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of two sleeping children, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. It's all done in pencil with a limited range of grey tones, but look how much he manages to convey! You can almost feel the quietness of the scene and imagine the slow, soft breathing of the children. I can just picture Israels, quickly capturing the scene before him. Look at the marks! They’re so soft and gentle, almost like he’s caressing the paper. I wonder what he was thinking as he made this, was he a parent himself? Or perhaps, like many artists, was he drawn to intimate moments of everyday life? There's an intimacy in it that only drawing can do. The way he's handled the pencil is like a caress, a tender observation. It's a beautiful reminder that sometimes, the simplest gestures can be the most moving.