Vrouwenhoofd 1875 - 1934

This is "Vrouwenhoofd," or "Woman's Head" made by Isaac Israels, and looking at it is like catching a glimpse of the artist's fleeting thoughts as they danced across the paper. I imagine Israels with his sketchbook, quickly trying to capture the essence of his subject with just a few strokes. It’s not about perfection, but about the feeling of the moment. The lines are so raw and immediate. You can see the movement in the way he loops the hair, or suggests the curve of the cheek. These aren't just lines on a page; they're traces of a human encounter, and it reminds me that drawing can be like a form of conversation, a way of thinking through looking. It makes me think about other artists like Degas who were interested in the same kind of immediacy. And how we, as artists, are always in conversation with each other, borrowing, responding, and pushing the boundaries of what art can be.