Zelfportret van Isaac Israels 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this self-portrait drawing with pencil at an unknown date. I look at this sketch, and I imagine Isaac in a state of contemplation, looking at himself in the mirror, tracing the lines of his face, perhaps a bit melancholic? You know, it’s vulnerable to draw yourself, looking so intently. Look at the density of the shading around the eyes that gives you a sense of the weight of his gaze, then compare it to the lightness of touch on the rest of the head. It's amazing how just a few lines can communicate so much. There’s an intimacy here. It makes me think about Rembrandt, also a Dutch artist, and the long tradition of self-portraiture. Artists looking at themselves, trying to figure something out about themselves, and about the process of seeing and being seen. It's a conversation across time and place. Each line is like a thought, building up an image, a feeling, a connection.