Man met opgeheven been c. 1915s - 1925s

Isaac Israels made this energetic sketch "Man met opgeheven been" with graphite on paper, and it's just buzzing with the pure joy of looking and marking. Israels wasn’t precious; he got right to the point, capturing the figure’s dynamism with incredible economy, like a lightning strike of observation. What strikes me is the physicality of those scribbled lines, they convey so much with so little. Look how the hatching creates a sense of volume and shadow, suggesting the weight and form of the figure. The lines aren’t just descriptive; they're expressive, conveying a feeling of movement and energy. It’s like he’s dancing with the figure, the graphite mirroring the body's pose. This drawing reminds me of other artists who can do so much with just a few lines. Think of Matisse, or even Twombly, in their own ways. It's like they're all part of an ongoing conversation about how much you can suggest with the bare minimum. The beauty of art is that it’s never really finished. It just keeps evolving through the eyes and hands of different artists across time.