Figuurstudies, mogelijk figuren in badkleding 1875 - 1934

Here are some figure studies, possibly figures in swimwear, made by Isaac Israels. Look at how the rapid, searching lines map out the human form on the page. I wonder what it was like for Israels to make these drawings? Was he sitting in a café sketching passers-by, or did he have models posing in his studio? I can feel the artist's eye darting across the scene, capturing the essence of each figure with a minimal, economic gesture. There’s a beautiful sense of movement, as though the figures are caught in the midst of dancing. Israels was part of a generation of artists inspired by the Impressionists. Like them, he was trying to capture fleeting moments of modern life. These studies are not finished works, but quick notations, ideas jotted down in preparation for larger paintings. But somehow, in their incompleteness, they offer a direct connection to the artist's process.