Staand vrouwelijk naakt, leunend c. 1915s - 1925s

This is Isaac Israels' pencil drawing "Staand vrouwelijk naakt, leunend," or "Standing female nude, leaning," housed at the Rijksmuseum. Israels was part of the Amsterdam Impressionism movement, capturing everyday life with a quick, observant eye. In this sketch, the female nude isn't idealized or posed dramatically; instead, she's rendered with casual intimacy. The rapid strokes and unfinished quality suggest a fleeting moment, a private glimpse. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the female nude in art was often a site of complex social and cultural negotiations, reflecting shifting ideas about gender, sexuality, and the male gaze. While Israels' depiction avoids the overt objectification seen in some academic nudes, it still raises questions about the power dynamics inherent in the act of looking and representing the female body. How might the model have felt, being observed and sketched? How does the gaze of the artist—and our own gaze as viewers—shape our understanding of her identity and experience?