Annotaties 1887 - 1934

Here is a sketch on paper by Isaac Israels in the Rijksmuseum. It's all faint marks and light scribbles, a real whisper of a drawing. I bet Israels was just trying to capture an idea before it vanished, before the light changed, or the feeling evaporated. You know, those thoughts that just appear out of nowhere? There's text on the left page, probably reminding himself of an address. And then what looks like marks indicating architecture. I love the gesture of the scribbled lines. It’s as if he's thinking with his pencil, the marks searching for form, for a way to make the invisible visible. The erasure and the paleness of the paper are so crucial. These fragile decisions show the hand of the artist, but also the uncertainty that comes with trying to capture something in flux. That reminds me of Cy Twombly who also used text and scrawls in his paintings as an attempt to catch the world. These marks are a record of a search.