Vrouw met hoed, op haar buik liggend 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a woman with a hat, lying on her stomach, using pencil, the date is unknown. The quick, loose lines suggest that Israels was trying to capture a fleeting moment, embracing the inherent ambiguity of an unfinished sketch. I really dig the raw energy in this piece. You can almost feel the artist circling the subject, trying to pin down the essence of her pose. The lines are sparse but expressive, especially around the face and hat, giving just enough information to suggest form and shadow. It's like Israels is thinking out loud with his pencil. Look at how the lines overlap and intersect, creating a sense of depth and movement, and the way the blank space around the figure is just as important as the marks themselves. For me, it’s less about perfection and more about the process of seeing and translating that onto paper. Much like Degas, Israels invites us to appreciate the beauty and complexity of everyday life, seen through the eyes of the artist. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing dialogue, full of possibilities.