Staande vrouw met gestrekte armen c. 1915s - 1925s

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a standing woman with outstretched arms, but it is difficult to know when exactly. Looking at this sketch, I can see that Israels was working fast. The marks are searching, tentative, like he was trying to capture a fleeting impression. I wonder what it was like for Israels to capture her pose with such minimal means, just pencil on paper, trying to convey the energy and tension in the figure. The shading behind the figure seems to suggest she is reaching towards something, or maybe pushing away. It's interesting how much emotion can be packed into such a simple gesture, and in this quick sketch the artist communicates so much. Painters are constantly in dialogue with one another across time, building upon each other’s discoveries, and this drawing is part of that ongoing conversation. I feel like I’m in conversation with it now.