Liggend vrouwelijk naakt met gesloten ogen 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a reclining nude with a humble pencil on paper. The hatching marks of the pencil create an image that's less about the facts of the figure, and more about the feeling of the figure. You know? It's like, she’s not just lying there, but dissolving into the paper. I can almost feel the artist feeling her weight and form, letting that inform the movement of his hand. I bet Israels was thinking about what it means to really *see* someone. Like, getting past just looking at the surface and trying to understand what's underneath. It reminds me of some of Degas’ drawings, you know? A real conversation across time. And it makes me think about how every time an artist picks up a pencil, they're not just drawing, they're joining a really long conversation.