Zittende figuur met geheven linkerarm 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a seated figure with raised left arm, using pencil on paper. Look at how he's just feeling his way around the form, the lines searching, doubling back, like he's thinking out loud with his pencil. I love the area around the figure’s head and hand. See how he's used these strong diagonal lines, building up tone really quickly? It's almost like he's mapping out the space around the figure, not just the figure itself. There's such a sense of energy and immediacy here, a real sense of process. The hand is also really evocative; it could be raised in supplication or surprise. This sketch reminds me a little of Rodin's drawings – that same sense of capturing movement and emotion with a few, well-placed lines. But Israels has his own voice, a lightness of touch that feels very modern. For me, art is all about that conversation, seeing how artists riff off each other, borrowing and transforming ideas across time.