Liggend vrouwelijk naakt met opgetrokken linkerbeen 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a reclining nude, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. It’s a quick sketch, nothing fussy, just the bare essentials. Israels is mostly working with line here. Look at how he uses hatching to build up the tone, the darker areas of shadow across the torso. It’s not about perfection; it’s about capturing a sense of volume with an economy of means. There’s something about the casualness of the line that chimes with the model’s pose. She’s not posing so much as lying, resting, maybe. The drawing feels so contemporary, it puts me in mind of someone like Tracey Emin, who also draws nudes with such immediacy and confidence. Art is like a conversation, isn’t it? Artists riffing off one another across time. And what comes through here is the power of a simple, direct mark. There’s nothing more or less than what you see.