Vrouw aan een tafel c. 1915s - 1925s

Isaac Israels sketched 'Vrouw aan een tafel' with pencil on paper, capturing a woman in repose, seemingly lost in thought or perhaps simply resting. The motif of the reclining figure has a long lineage in art, stretching back to antiquity. Think of the sleeping Ariadne, abandoned on Naxos, a classical image of vulnerability and abandonment that resonates through centuries. Here, though, the mood is different, less dramatic, more introspective. The quick, sketch-like quality adds to this impression. Consider how the act of reclining itself can symbolize various states: leisure, sorrow, contemplation, or even defiance. It's fascinating to observe how artists, across different eras, have used this posture to convey a range of emotional and psychological states, engaging viewers on a deeply subconscious level. Just like the reclining figure, these expressions are caught in an eternal return, as Nietzsche would have said.