Vrouw met hoofdtooi, in profiel c. 1930 - 1934

This drawing of a woman in a headdress was made by Isaac Israels, and now lives at the Rijksmuseum. Look at how the subject has emerged through line, a shifting and finding process with areas rubbed out and redrawn. The lines communicate so much with so little. I can almost imagine Isaac Israels, the artist, making marks, erasing and re-thinking as he goes. Maybe he wanted to capture the woman in just a few strokes. He uses a kind of shorthand, it feels urgent like the image has to be captured fast before the moment is lost. The diagonal hatching in the background, creates tone and volume to the form. It reminds me of other quick sketches I've done, capturing a fleeting moment, trying to say so much with so few marks. The image invites us to see the world around us with fresh eyes. We too, can take a pencil and capture the fleeting moments of life. We are all in conversation with one another across time, artists inspiring artists, just like a beautiful game of telephone.