Twee studies van een zittende jonge vrouw c. 1890 - 1920

Isaac Israels made this sketch of a seated young woman using graphite. Israels belonged to a generation of Dutch artists who turned away from the grand subjects favored by the art academy, and instead sought inspiration in the everyday life of the modern city. Here we see an example of Israels’ commitment to the ordinary. The quickness of the drawing suggests it was made from life, perhaps capturing a brief moment in a public space. Made in the late 19th or early 20th century, the sketch reflects a broader cultural shift toward depictions of working-class people. The informality of the scene challenges traditional notions of portraiture, which typically depicted wealthy individuals in formal poses. In this way, Israels' sketch democratizes art, bringing it closer to the experiences of ordinary people. To understand this work better, we might research the social and economic conditions of the Netherlands at the turn of the century, as well as the changing role of art institutions in promoting new forms of representation.