Vrouw en meisje bij een heuvel en boomstam 1834 - 1911

Jozef Israëls created this pencil drawing, Vrouw en meisje bij een heuvel en boomstam, sometime in the late 19th century. Israëls, part of the Hague School, focused on the lives of the poor, particularly fishing families. In this unassuming sketch, we see a woman and a girl standing by a hill and some logs. The woman has her hand to her forehead, a gesture that could imply anything from a headache to shielding her eyes from the sun. Her expression seems to be one of weariness, the weight of daily life perhaps etched into her stance. The young girl looks out, away from the viewer. Israëls captured the humanity of people who were so often overlooked. He dignifies the realities of the working class, offering a glimpse into their emotional and social worlds. He often said he sought to find ‘poetry’ in the everyday lives of his subjects. This image invites us to contemplate the complex dynamics of gender, class, and labor, and prompts us to reflect on the universal human experiences that connect us all.