Zittende en staande figuren, mogelijk artiesten op het toneel 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this sketch of figures, possibly performers on a stage, with graphite on paper. It's a study in quick looking, a process of distillation. The marks are sparse, but potent. The standing figure up top seems to levitate, held up by quick strokes defining clothing and posture. There's a real economy of line here, the artist working at speed to record an image which may disappear at any moment. It’s very physical, the artist using just enough pressure to leave a trace, the surface of the paper still visible beneath the marks. Look at the shadows behind the figures up top. See how they are rendered with a series of fast parallel lines, laid down quickly to suggest form and light? Israels reminds me of Degas, also interested in capturing figures in motion, on stage, or at the racetrack. Both artists show us that art isn’t about capturing a definitive image, but more about the feeling of something glimpsed, fleeting.