Lezende jonge vrouw in de kleedkamer van Theater Scala te Den Haag c. 1930 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a young woman reading in the dressing room of the Scala Theater in The Hague with a pencil. Look at these rapid, sinuous lines! I can almost feel Israels sketching quickly, capturing a fleeting moment. Maybe the artist lingered behind the scenes, watching performers in their private moments. I bet he was drawn to the contrast between the public performance and the quiet solitude of the dressing room. There's a beautiful informality in the way he's approached the subject; the lines aren't precious, they're searching. See the way the forms are suggested rather than defined? Israels trusts the viewer to fill in the blanks. Artists like Edgar Degas also captured similar scenes from the world of theatre and dance. These artists remind us that painting is about seeing and feeling—and sharing that vision with others.