Vrouw op een ezel 1875 - 1934

Here's a graphite drawing on paper by Isaac Israels that looks like it was drawn from life. It's so great to see the ghost of lines, which implies that the artist wasn't just trying to capture a likeness. It's like he was trying to find the essence of the moment and the experience of seeing a woman on a donkey. The way he repeats the lines, it's like he's searching, or feeling his way through the dark. I imagine him on the scene, charcoal or graphite in hand, quickly trying to pin down the figure as it moves. It reminds me that artists, like, we're all magpies, constantly borrowing, stealing, and riffing off each other's ideas. We're in an ongoing conversation across time. Painting is just one way we try to make sense of the world, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty and allowing for multiple readings.