Figuren op een terras 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, 'Figuren op een terras,' with pencil on paper. I imagine Isaac outside, quickly trying to capture a scene on a busy terrace. It’s all rapid marks and lines, right? Trying to seize the impression of the moment, the feel of a social scene. Look at how he uses the pencil, sometimes pressing hard, creating darker, more defined lines, and other times using light, feathery strokes. You can almost feel his hand moving across the paper, darting here and there, trying to catch the essence of the figures. What I find interesting is how he's not trying to give us every detail, but instead offers the impression of figures in space. It reminds me that every drawing and painting is like a note in a long conversation among artists, isn’t it? Each one responding to what came before, while also pushing things forward.