Studie, mogelijk een vrouw in een mantel 1875 - 1934

This sketchy drawing of a woman in a cloak was made by Isaac Israels, though we don’t know when. It’s just a few lines, a quick impression of a figure, but it still does so much! Look at how he uses line, it’s all about the rhythm. The pencil moves nervously, with these loops and scribbles. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s drawings, but more representational. There’s a real tension between the solid, weighty lines that define the cloak and the fleeting suggestions of the figure beneath. See how the face is barely there, just a few strokes, yet you get a sense of her turning away, lost in thought. It is like a memory, faded and incomplete, or maybe a glimpse of someone passing by. That's what I love about drawing; its ability to capture a fleeting moment. It's not about perfection but about the feeling, the energy, the life in the lines.