Standing Female Nude c. 1915s - 1925s

Here we have a drawing of a Standing Female Nude made by Isaac Israels. It's light and airy, feeling like a first thought, or the beginning of one. Look at the area around the head and face, the artist is working to capture the light as it catches the face and hair, rather than trying to make a perfect likeness. It's like Israels is thinking through the pencil, letting the marks accumulate into a thought, or an image. The lines are tentative, almost shy, but together, they describe a person. The way the figure is set off-center gives it a casual, almost snapshot-like quality. Israels reminds me of Degas, who often used unexpected compositions to create a sense of spontaneity. In both artists' works, it’s like we're catching a glimpse of something real, something lived. Art then becomes like an unfolding conversation, a way of seeing and being in the world that's always open to new ideas and interpretations.