Vrouwenhoofd 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels drew this head of a woman with graphite on paper, and you can see his hand moving, feeling out the forms. It's clear that the artist made the work through observation. Look at the softness of the pencil marks. There's a delicacy in the way he’s captured the contours of her face, the gentle curve of her eyelashes. I wonder, what was she thinking? Perhaps she was resting, lost in thought, or maybe even dreaming. The ghostly figures floating above the head are interesting; they could be figures in the background. Or perhaps they are the artist's way of capturing the fleeting nature of thought itself. It reminds me of the sketchbooks of Degas. Israels probably saw Degas' work. It's easy to imagine artists through the ages sitting in cafes, drawing on scraps of paper, capturing the world around them. I find comfort in the thought that we're all part of this ongoing conversation, influencing and inspiring one another, across time and space.