Twee vrouwen 1886 - 1903

Curator: Looking at this little pencil and charcoal sketch, “Twee Vrouwen,” or “Two Women,” by Isaac Israels, dated somewhere between 1886 and 1903 and held in the Rijksmuseum’s collection... what strikes you first? Editor: Well, honestly, it’s the sparseness. Like a fleeting thought jotted down. It’s more ghost than portrait, right? I almost feel like I’m intruding on someone’s private idea. Curator: It certainly has that sketchbook vibe, doesn’t it? It’s easy to imagine Israels rapidly capturing a moment, the essence of these figures in just a few lines. It shows the everyday woman during this time, you see, portrayed through quick and almost fleeting impressions. The politics of imagery around women in art are ever-present. This seems almost to subvert typical societal constraints for women during that time, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Absolutely. There's something vulnerable about that, isn't there? A raw, unfinished quality, it almost feels like the artist is asking us to finish the story, to fill in the emotional blanks. Not a highly romanticized depiction. He’s capturing something more intimate and probably quite realistic from his vantage point, I would assume, not romanticized in a sense. And, I also see him testing out two different women in different positions, trying to find something new or capture movement and life in a drawing or painting. Curator: Yes! He's very deliberately testing what we find pleasing, what makes us engage. It feels so contemporary because he really captured the modernity of the image here in a single scene. And that interplay of light and shadow—even in these sparse lines, you get a real sense of depth. It's interesting what he wants us to see. Or perhaps, what he’s not letting us see. The mystery he created is astounding. Editor: True. The incomplete quality pushes my imagination. There are also lots of missing lines which leaves you pondering—where are they going? It is a compelling, insightful glance at that era's artistic idea creation, no? The kind of scribbles and doodles one makes at work or school when dreaming of other realities and maybe one day realizing they became your world? Curator: Exactly! Seeing the thought and inspiration in one sketch... Wonderful indeed! I find it extremely personal, the way the pencil moves, the almost frenzied feeling behind each stroke; a world captured in such a concise way and expression! It certainly creates endless possibilities for imaginative exploration and study!