Vrouwelijk naakt c. 1886 - 1934

This drawing of a female nude was made by Isaac Israels, we don't know when, with graphite on paper. It's so great, right? Like a quick thought, jotted down. I love how Israels uses line here, how immediate and searching it feels. There's a real sense of the artist working through the form, feeling his way around the curves of the body. The lines aren't precious or overly defined, which makes it feel raw, very in the moment. You can almost see the artist's hand moving across the page. The sketchy quality has a kind of vulnerability, it reminds me of some of Rodin's drawings. There’s a casualness, but also a real sensitivity to the subject. It’s like he’s not trying to capture a perfect likeness, but more the essence of the figure. To me that’s what art is about, not the thing itself, but the feeling.