Twee vrouwen, mogelijk artiesten c. 1915s - 1925s

This sketch, “Twee vrouwen, mogelijk artiesten” by Isaac Israels, is a flurry of graphite on paper. Look at how Israels uses line—it’s all about the energy, the speed of thought. It reminds me that drawing is a conversation with the subject, a dance of observation and mark-making. Israels isn’t precious. You can almost feel him grappling with the scene before him. Notice the woman on the right: Israels uses dense hatching to convey the shadows on her face. It’s raw and immediate, not trying to impress, but capture something fleeting and real. I see echoes of Daumier in this sketch—that same interest in everyday life, that same economy of line. It's a reminder that art isn’t about perfection, it’s about process, about the messy, beautiful act of trying to see.