Drie zittende vrouwen, mogelijk buiten 1875 - 1934

This sketch by Isaac Israels captures three seated women, possibly outdoors, with just a few graphite lines. I imagine Israels quickly capturing the scene with a flurry of marks, each stroke searching for the essential forms. You can almost feel him squinting, trying to capture the light on their faces and the way their bodies settle into their seats. Maybe he’s thinking about Manet, about capturing modern life in these fleeting impressions. Look at the confident hatching in the bottom right – it’s a shorthand for shadow, a way to ground the figures in space without getting bogged down in detail. It’s like he’s saying, “Here they are, caught in a moment.” And that’s what I love about drawing and painting - the ability to freeze a moment, to make it live again through these simple marks. It’s a conversation across time, a way of seeing and feeling that connects us to Israels and to each other.