Studie, mogelijk een figuurstudie 1875 - 1934

This drawing, possibly a figure study, was made by Isaac Israels, we don't know when, but probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. It's just pencil on paper, a simple thing. But in its simplicity, it shows us so much about how an artist looks and thinks. I love how Israels uses line here, not to define, but to suggest. See how the lines are light and tentative, almost like he's feeling his way around the form? The texture of the pencil on paper is so immediate, you can almost hear the scratch of the graphite. There's a little scribble at the top left. It's like the artist is thinking out loud, working through an idea in real time. It reminds me a bit of some of Degas's drawings, that same sense of capturing a fleeting moment. Art isn't about perfection, it's about process, about the act of seeing and trying to understand. It's about the conversation between the artist and the world.