Studie 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this study with charcoal on paper, and the speedy quality to it makes me think he’s feeling something out. I like the immediacy of the medium, the way you can get something down, really fast. There’s a beautiful lightness of touch here, the charcoal almost floating on the surface. The smudgy background, against the sharp, definitive lines of the dress, creates an interesting tension. Look at how the charcoal is applied: sometimes it’s almost dashed, while other marks are applied with greater force. The smudging creates a sense of atmosphere, or maybe it's obscuring what is behind the figure? Israels was a contemporary of Whistler, and I can see some similarities in their approach to capturing a fleeting moment. Like Whistler, Israels leaves things open to interpretation, embracing ambiguity rather than closure. It’s like he’s inviting us to participate in the act of seeing, to complete the image in our own minds.