Vrouwelijk naakt met gespreide armen 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, a female nude with outstretched arms, with graphite on paper. I imagine Israels in front of his model, maybe a student, quickly capturing the scene. Look at the swift, almost nervous lines of the body; the quick strokes of the pencil giving form to the subject. The energy is palpable. It makes me think about what Israels wanted to capture: was it anatomical correctness, or the ephemeral nature of a pose? You can see the ghost of other lines underneath this sketch where Israels has changed his mind, looking for the best angle. The work feels very contemporary, like a Cy Twombly or a Cecily Brown, using an old subject but making it new through mark making. Artists are always talking to each other across time. We borrow, steal, and transform. In a way, this drawing is a testament to the timelessness of artistic inquiry.