Verklede figuren bij een balustrade 1875 - 1934

Editor: This is "Verklede figuren bij een balustrade," or "Figures in Costume by a Balustrade," a drawing by Isaac Israels, made sometime between 1875 and 1934. It’s a really loose pencil sketch, almost like a quick note taken on the go. What jumps out at me is how fleeting the moment feels; it looks like a glimpse into another world. What do you make of it? Curator: This sketch provides a valuable insight into Israels's working methods. It shows how he experimented with form and composition. I am interested in how this particular sketch demonstrates the means of artistic production at the time. Can you speak to your thoughts about the role of costume and setting for people's status at the time? Editor: Well, I suppose the costumes could indicate an interest in theatricality and maybe a slight remove from everyday life, a specific social strata that had time and resources to be able to enjoy social events such as masked balls and parties. The Balustrade, perhaps serves as not only as staging device to allow an area where these ‘Verklede Figuren’ can be displayed or watch an event, it separates people and provides a barrier for them. Curator: Exactly. Considering Israels’s Impressionist leanings, this may have been used for idea generation, for the preparation of more formally realized paintings. We can also see how his labor in the form of a sketch differs in both intention and production from his formal work that are typically oil paintings. The artist would most likely utilize various suppliers of drawing tools in preparation of final larger pieces. We need to ask questions about the process of this art making. What can you learn by this rapid approach of the material involved? Editor: That’s a really interesting way of thinking about it – seeing the sketch as part of the entire material and economic process behind art creation. So, the drawing is not necessarily an end product in itself, but more of a step in this entire journey? Curator: Precisely. Editor: That perspective has completely changed how I see this drawing. Thanks!