Studie c. 1923 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this sketch, we don't know exactly when, on paper with graphite. The thing that grabs me here is the movement. Look at that furious scribbling, all those graphite lines going in every direction. You can almost feel the artist’s hand flying across the page. The marks are so raw and immediate, like a snapshot of a thought. It’s not about perfection, it’s about capturing the energy of the moment. I love the way the texture of the paper peeks through the graphite. It reminds you that art is not just about the image, it’s about the materials themselves. And you can see the different pressures, the way Israels digs into the paper in some areas and barely touches it in others. All those marks together create this sense of depth and space. You know, looking at this sketch, I’m reminded of Cy Twombly’s wild, gestural drawings. They both have this incredible sense of freedom and improvisation. And that’s what makes art so exciting. It’s a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time.