Staande en lopende figuren 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of standing and walking figures with graphite on paper. It’s all about the line here. The way the artist uses the graphite is so confident and free. Look at the almost scribbled quality of the lines that give shape to these figures; the back of that figure on the left and the way the graphite suggests folds of fabric, and form. I’m struck by the flatness of the picture plane, but also how the artist uses these linear marks to create volume and depth. There’s a real tension between flatness and depth. The negative space is as important as the figures themselves. For me, the drawing has a lot in common with the work of Edgar Degas, particularly the quick, gestural sketches he would make in preparation for paintings. But Israels captures a different feeling – a sense of spontaneity and immediacy that feels really modern. It’s a reminder that art is always in conversation with itself.