Ruiter op een boulevard, mogelijk in Scheveningen 1875 - 1934

This sketch by Isaac Israels at the Rijksmuseum, probably made with graphite, captures a boulevard scene, possibly in Scheveningen. Look at these tentative lines, the way the artist lets the marks hover on the page, suggesting rather than defining forms. I imagine Israels, sketchbook in hand, quickly capturing the essence of the scene. What did he want to remember? The horse? The rider? The architecture? Maybe he wanted to distill the fleeting atmosphere of a day at the beach, the sense of movement and life along the coast. Israels was part of a generation of artists who were pushing against academic painting, trying to capture the immediacy of modern life. You see this interest in everyday life in the work of Manet and Degas. It’s like they're all in conversation, exchanging notes, and expanding what painting can be. For me, this sketch is a reminder that a work doesn’t always need to be polished or resolved to offer us something meaningful.