Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 13 recto c. 1886 - 1934

This offset of a chalk drawing, by Isaac Israels, is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. It’s like a ghost of a drawing, or maybe the memory of one. The beauty of this piece lies in its subtlety. It's all about the surface, the texture, the delicate dance between what’s there and what’s not. Look at the way the chalk has been transferred; it's smudged and faded, creating this ethereal, almost dreamlike quality. Notice the faint outlines of figures, barely visible yet undeniably present. There’s a vertical scratch near the bottom, it’s sharp and dark and interrupts the fuzziness of the rest of the image. This piece reminds me of Cy Twombly’s work, especially his later drawings where he embraces the accidental, the imperfect. Both artists share a fascination with the beauty of the ephemeral, the idea that art doesn't have to be perfect or finished to be powerful. It’s more about the process, the gesture, the fleeting moment captured in time.