Staande vrouwen met hoeden, op de rug gezien 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this pencil drawing of women with hats, viewed from the back, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I love the way he's captured a sense of movement, the swish of dresses and the jaunty angle of hats. Imagine Israels, quickly sketching in a cafe, trying to capture the essence of these fashionable women before they moved on. There’s a lightness of touch here, a confidence in the line that speaks of countless hours of practice. The artist seems to embrace the unfinished, suggesting rather than defining, which invites us to complete the image in our own minds. It reminds me of some of Degas' sketches of dancers, capturing fleeting moments with such apparent ease. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most powerful statements are made with the simplest of gestures.