Gebouwen, mogelijk winkelpuien 1875 - 1934

This image is a drawing by Isaac Israels, maybe of storefronts, made with charcoal. The dominant marks are gestural, scratchy, and almost violent. You can imagine Israels working quickly, urgently, trying to capture the essence of a fleeting moment. The dark lines build up, layer upon layer, creating a dense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere. I feel for Israels, trying to nail down the energy of the streets. It’s like when I’m trying to catch a feeling in my paintings, that thing that just slips away if you try too hard to control it. The charcoal is thick in some places, almost like a physical barrier. This reminds me how the materiality of paint can communicate so much – think of Twombly's scribbles, Pollock's drips! There's a rhythm, a cadence in the marks here. You can sense Israels’ hand moving across the paper, feeling his way through the space. In art, it's about this conversation that happens across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. Isn't that what art is all about?